Eclipse Realm
by Trayne
Summary: Riku finds himself in a strange new land, and a heavy cross to bear. The darkness must be sealed away, even if he is that darkness. He finds the center, and if he can't control it, there can be no hope for redemption. revised
1. Prologue: Hollow Life

Eclipse Realm

Prologue

There was darkness all around. Yet in the midst of this, a young man could be seen, floating, falling... sleeping?

_I'm not really sure of what's real or not anymore._

_But if I'm here, then that means you're out there somewhere, and..._

_ I want to put the pieces back._

He could hear his heartbeat. Faint at first, then louder, louder...

**Beating the fall**

**I can't help but desire of**

**Falling**

**Down this time**

He opened his eyes. This place... There were clouds surrounding a massive, twisted castle for as far as the eye could see, like he was at the end of the world.

At the edge of a cliff were open gates, and there stood a feminine figure. He couldn't discern exactly who she was, or her features. All he was able to distinguish was long hair and a flowing dress. She turned around to him. He could make out a smile.

She spread her arms.

A sense of dread filled him. He opened his mouth in warning, but nothing came out. He ran towards her.

She fell backwards.

His outstretched hand just barely missed, grasping empty air. He could have saved her, but did not. Could not.

**Deep in this hole of my making**

**I can't escape**

**Falling**

**All this time**

Somehow, the ground beneath him was no more. He felt himself falling, but the fluid rush... Was he in water?

Something he had long regarded as a prison, a trap, but now he felt... safe.

**We come to this place**

**Falling through time**

**Living a hollow life**

He was able to force himself into an upright position. As he did, blurry images began to appear in the water. They became clearer as the water dissipated, leaving him suspended in a black space.

The dawn; a quiet world; falling stars; two visible entities in the rose-colored sky...

The sun; a bright world; a clear sky full of light...

The moon; a tranquil world; a deep sky permeated by darkness...

The two heavenly orbs overlapping each other... A blood red sky; an erupting world; destruction and chaos...

**Always we're taking**

**Waiting for signs**

**Hollow lives...**

What did this all mean?

**Is there ever any wonder**

**Why we look to the sky?**

**Search in vain?**

**Asking why?**

**All alone...**

**Where is God?**

**Looking down?**

**We don't know**

He was standing on solid ground again. He was in a neutral realm. Light at one end, darkness at the other. Where to go, he wasn't sure. Light? Darkness?

Last time...

The last time he chose darkness... That was why he was trapped in it.

He went towards the light. The closer he got to it, the greater the darkness. It enveloped him, pulled him back into its ebony embrace, wrapping him in velvety arms... He was descending into darkness, and somehow not afraid, but feeling at ease...

**We fall in space**

**We can't look down**

**Death may come**

**Peace, I have found**

What was to come? All that had been... What was there to be? Was he done? Finished? Should he be no more?

**What to say?**

**Am I alive?**

**Am I asleep?**

**Or have I died?**

The darkness released him, setting him down onto a surface. Looking below him, he could see he was standing on stained glass. A flock of black birds erupted from no where around him, fluttering up into the darkness, towards a light that could faintly be seen.

**We fall in space**

**We can't look down**

**Death may come**

**Peace, I have found...**

Leaving him with nothing more than a flurry of midnight feathers.

He was alone.


	2. Chapter 1: Destati

Whoa, I didn't expect to get a review for this with just the prologue up. Thank you, Ari Powwel, and here's the first chapter for you .

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts ain't mine to take. Get off me!

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Eclipse Realm

Chapter 1: Destati

**_Things fall apart. The center cannot hold._**

He looked about him frantically. That voice! Who was it? He could hear it clearly, but not with his ears so much as with his mind.

**_Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world._**

...What was that voice talking about?

_**The door has been shut.**_

The door... That door. He was there when it had been shut, wasn't he?

_**Step forward...**_

Almost mechanically he did so, taking one step, then two... Somehow, it felt strange, this walking. It felt as though he hadn't stepped on a solid surface in a long time. When he stood at the middle of the platform, he stopped, awaiting the next request from this mysterious voice.

**_A great power lies within you. Give it form, and it will aid you._**

Power? Yes, somehow he knew that he had this power, and knew just how to use it. He looked down at his hand... When was the last time he had seen his own hand? He stretched the black gloved palm out at his side, but he hesitated. Why? It was only his own power...

_**Don't be afraid.**_

He mentally snorted. He didn't need any kind of encouragement from some fucking voice. He was afraid of nothing.

A strange tingling sensation began that turned into a flow of warmth that he knew was his inner strength. This surge of energy emerged as a brief flash in his extended hand, then took form as a sword, whose shape resembled the wing of a bat...

The sword was familiar, but... From whom had he received it from? And from where?

**_This power will never betray you._**

Suddenly, he heard the sound of breaking glass. Glancing around, he saw that it was the very stained glass he was standing on that was shattering. There was no way he could escape it. The surface he was standing on was solid no more, and he was among the multi-colored shards, falling...

At least this time it wasn't an endless abyss. Soon he was able to right himself as he hovered to a stop on another surface. He noticed it to be another stained glass platform, and judging from the different colors it was a different pattern.

**_The time will come when you must fight. The belief of others, and your own belief in yourself, will give you strength._**

Puddles of darkness formed around him, and from them emerged creatures that made him burn with a searing rage he had not felt in what seemed like both ages and moments. These creatures... They were the source of all of his pain.

But something chided him from within. Was his pain not caused by himself?

The sword, which he had forgotten about, materialized again in his hand. He gripped it as the creatures lunged at him, and he simply swung in a horizontal arc. That one move obliterated each one in front of him, but he knew it wasn't over yet. He could feel one behind him, though he knew it was trying to fool him. It expected him to try and attack it while it was in its liquid phase, but he knew better. He waited until it became solid; its true form; something he could destroy. He turned with near in-human speed, impaling the beast in a powerful thrust, and in the next second he ripped his blade out and separated its head from the rest of it's body.

He was aware that there were more, but they all began to retreat to their pools of nothingness. This wasn't over, not until every one of the bastards was dead! Running over to one of the puddles, he tried in vain to reach them before they completely disappeared, only to be pulled in with them.

Not again... Not again!

He struggled, desperately trying to escape the darkness, but he knew it was futile. He knew it was a part of him. He was darkness... Everything faded to black.

He didn't even try to fight it off, but eventually the darkness released him, leaving him flat on his back. Opening his eyes and getting to his feet, he saw he was on yet another stained glass platform. But there was something else. Opposite of where he was standing, he saw a door. It was an odd door, intricately designed in opposing colors of black and white, with vine-like carvings in silver and gold.

**_The door will open again. You may not hold the key, but you control the lock._**

What the hell?

The door began to open of its own will, but he couldn't tell if what came out was light, darkness, or nothing at all. The realm around him faded away...

And suddenly, he was in an all too familiar place.

It was just as he remembered. The island... his home. This particular spot he would have called his own, but he knew that everything here was shared with the others... He would have immediately left to seek them out, but two things stopped him.

What made him think they would want to see him?

What's more, how was it that he was standing in the middle of the island yet also sitting on his favorite perch?

That was the exact setting. He was standing in the middle of the small plot of land, facing the main part of the island. Sitting on the low-hanging tree, that was known for its legendary fruit and as his common place of leisure, was also him. But he was a much younger version of himself... when he was about six years old.

Such a fateful year, when he was six...

A sudden question brought him out of his brief reminiscence.

"What's most important to you?"

He must have looked surprised, for his younger self looked back at him with wide eyes, full of curiosity... and innocence.

...What was important to him? Was anything important to him anymore?

The boy must have sensed his doubt, and he he smiled. The simple expression reminded him that he was still himself, and had his own wishes.

_My dreams._

The child tilted his head. "Can dreams really come true?"

How...? He must be able to read his mind. Before he could question him - or would he be questioning himself?- he was aware of another presence behind him. He whipped around...

To find himself, yet again. This was him years older, a version he found more familiar. That posture, standing with one hand at his hip... Those calm, inquiring eyes...

He had been just as curious and cocky as ever back then...

Back then? How old was he now?

"What do you want out of life?"

The answer came without a second thought. Actually, a thought was all that seemed required.

_To be strong._

The teen before him raised his pale eyebrows ever so slightly. He had never been one to be surprised easily. "Is being strong really that big of a deal?"

He wasn't sure, but he wouldn't let it go without saying something. It seemed like he still didn't like to let go of an issue without a disagreement, even if he would be arguing with himself.

Before he could retort, another presence alerted him, and he turned back to the tree to found his child-self replaced by someone he never wanted to see again.

The person in front of him he didn't want to recognize as himself, because this was everything he hated about himself. Not so much as the darkness that he seemed to breathed, but because of his foolishness, his arrogance... his weakness.

Who was he kidding? He had always been arrogant. He had never really considered himself foolish, that is, until he made the wrong choices, and had to live through the consequences... But weak? He was never weak. He was not weak now!

"What do you fear most?"

It was more a statement rather than a inquiry. Still, who would dare ask him of he was afraid of anything? He feared...!

Suddenly, that person looked more menacing, more so than the crest that branded his chest, and despite his composed posture of leaning back against the tree with his arms crossed. The atmosphere became imminent on that tiny island as he realized what his answer was.

_... Myself._

His other self smirked, scoffing at him. "So, your only obstacle is yourself?"

A gentle breeze blew, but the wind didn't carry with it the familiar salt of the surrounding sea. The only thing that came with it was the voice that he both knew and did not know.

**_Your dreams are most important to you. You want to be strong. You fear only yourself... Your adventure begins in the dead of the night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end. Is this the path you seek?_**

What was this, some kind of test? He considered challenging whoever it was that was toying with him. But then again, if it was a challenge they wanted, then they would get one. If they wanted to play, then he would play hard. He was never one to back down from a challenge.

_Yeah._

**_The day the door will be unlocked is both far off and very near._**

The world around him faded away, and with it any last hope he had of this finally being over. But the promise of a challenge shadowed any despair.

Once more, he found himself on a surface of glass, usually clear and pure, but violated with color. There had to be some meaning behind these pictures, but his position prevented him from seeing what that could be. There was one drastic difference on this platform. Rather than being an island in a sea of darkness, there were luminescent stairs that led up to... somewhere. The gloom of the place - if this was any specific place - prevented the flight's destination from being revealed.

He had nothing else to do, and it was a more than obvious invitation, so he rushed across the platform and started up the staircase. There was no need to rush, but then again, what was there to be patient for? Whatever he was heading towards, he was ready for it.

The darkness...

He had no fear, or even hate for it. It in, he felt alive, and there was no fatigue at all as he ran. Even though he has always possessed a supernatural endurance, with each step the muscles in his legs didn't burn with the almost forgotten exercise, but with an internal fire. It was much like an adrenaline rush, but he knew it was the swell of efficacy he experienced when he used the power the darkness, and didn't let it use him.

Before he reached his destination, which looked to be a kind of platform he was starting to be familiar with, he paused, observing something strange.

This realm was endless, or so he had thought, and there was no visible wall. So how was it he was able to see windows of that same tainted glass? The patterns he could see plainly, and one detail was especially known.

There were three windows, the largest being in the middle and the two on either side being smaller than the middle window but equal to each other in size. To the very left was an image consisting of mainly dark blue and black, a clear portrayal of night, with a full moon softly illuminating the land below it.

The window on the very right was much brighter, an abundance of white and golden yellow with a sun that shone boldly on its own.

But the pane in the middle... The other two he could relate to; they clearly spoke of light and darkness. However, the picture in the middle...

It seemed dark at first, but the image contained an inner light. It was a midnight blue sky, much like the window of darkness, but other details didn't leave the dark ambiance as imposing as it would have been. There was a silhouette of many buildings, a city, overshadowed in black, but the beaming glow of yellow windows spoke of an hidden warmth. The distinguishing features in this image were the stars, which were so brilliant that each looked like a miniature cross, and the moon, which was as radiant as the sun despite being encased in darkness...

... and was in the shape of a heart.

Now he was seriously confused. He had a precognition of what the heart was supposed to symbolize, but the images of light, darkness... It was all so balanced, with neither dominating the other...

What the hell was going on?And why... why did this image, alien as it was, seem familiar?

He had to turn around a little to view the windows, so he also saw that the staircase he had been climbing had been swallowed up in the darkness, save for a few feet behind him, and the remaining steps in front of him.

There would be time enough soon for him to ponder over the meanings of all of this, so he continued. The stained glass staircase completely vanished when he set foot on the platform. He disregarded this as his set his eyes upon a glowing sphere levitating in the center of the landing. His body betrayed him, and he was immediately drawn to it.

What was he doing? He had forsaken the light! He didn't need it- he was strong enough on his own!

He wasn't a hero, and didn't deserve...

**_The shadow is sustained only by the light._**

The damn voice was the last thing he needed now, but it did have a point. The closer he got to the light, the smaller it became, and the darkness behind him grew, grasping at him with ebony tendrils. Though he was frequent with it, something just felt different. He wasn't so sure about it.

_**Don't be afraid.**_

The light became a speck of a glow, then nothing. The darkness coiled its jet strands around him, wrapping around his waist, legs, neck. He was suffocating; he held his breath as he struggled, hoping to release it and refresh his body if he could break free. But no...

He could tell he wasn't standing on anything anymore. The only thing supporting him, keeping him from falling into darkness, was the darkness itself.

**_Even in the darkest pitch, there is always a light._**

His arms were pinned to his sides, his legs bound together. His chest was being crushed, to the point that he expected to hear a rib crack any second. This pain... This was his punishment for resisting the very darkness he claimed was a part of him?

**_So don't be afraid, and remember..._**

He felt himself losing the battle, and his lungs were burning from being starved of oxygen. He thrashed his head, feeling the dark cords around his neck creep upwards, and managed to turn his face upwards. Finally, he opened his mouth in a scream, hearing no sound, expecting to die. That is, if he wasn't already dead and was just being tortured by the demons of hell he had heard about from other worlds.

But there was no more suffering. The darkness entered him; he felt it roll over his tongue, and he gasped. The involuntary action caused the black to invade... and nurture his hungry lungs. He was almost numbed by the sudden absence of pain, and opened his eyes to see that small point of light up, in the distance, just before the darkness blinded him.

**_You are the only one... who can unlock the door._**

****

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Ew... I really did get carried away describing stuff. You may have noticed that the prologue was similar to the opening of the first game. The song featured was Korn's "Hollow Life", and the first two lines spoken by 'the mysterious and almighty voice' came from a poem whose name and author escape me.


	3. Chapter 2: You Don't Need to Bother

The story begins- you'll be characters old and new, some you may know, some you've never met. Either way, this is a long story that won't be finished any time soon.

(...Because I'm a lazy ass.)

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Eclipse Realm

Chapter 2: You Don't Need to Bother

Cool gray eyes regarded the person in front of her curiously. It wasn't every day that you climbed a tree to pick fruit to come back down and find some guy sleeping on a branch. Then again, she wasn't sure if it would be common or uncommon. So she just perched on a limb opposite of him, arms crossed over her drawn up legs, and watched.

_I wonder who would want to sleep in a tree? It's not very comfortable. Don't people usually prefer soft materials to sleep on?_

Her thoughts halted as the figure stirred, and her ashen eyes widened slightly in anticipation.

Riku groaned as he felt himself rise to consciousness, the dark foggy world of sleep leaving. He guessed he had been sleeping, but he couldn't remember the last time he had actually slept. Everything had just seemed like an endless nightmare, and he was never sure when was awake or dreaming.

He flexed his hand, testing his digits to see if they was intact. He seemed whole... He could feel he was resting on something hard, like a bench, or... a tree limb?

Immediately he thought he was back on the island, but quickly banished the thought when he found he couldn't hear the crash of the waves, or smell the salt of a surrounding sea. He could sense he was too high off the ground to be on the paopu tree, and he was resting on a large branch rather than a bent trunk.

He could also sense someone was with him.

Instead of snapping into action instantly to catch the stranger off guard, he decided to determine his surroundings and situation first, though he could tell he was in a foreign place. He was careful to open his eyes slowly. He found his eye lids heavy, as if he were suffering from sleep deprivation - which he probably was - but was able to accomplish the act.

Upon opening his eyes partially, he discovered that his bangs fell into his vision (was his hair that long?), and since his hair was so pale he could see through the strands, but the other person wouldn't be able to see that he was awake.

Looking ahead of him, he could see he was indeed in a tree, and judging from the way he could see the horizon he was pretty high up. There seemed to be nothing but a field for as far as his sharp eyes could see, with an occasional splash of color from wildflowers. Now, for the stranger...

He directed his gaze to the right, and recognized shapely legs that could only belong to a girl. He opened his eyes a bit more, widening his field of vision, and saw that it was indeed a girl that was regarding him with calm, somewhat confused eyes. The shade of the tree prevented him from seeing what color they were. She didn't look threatening, or even worried for that matter, and he fully opened his eyes.

They kept their eyes locked for a while. The girl was a bit in awe of the stranger's turquoise orbs that almost glowed even in the dim light, while Riku was starting to get a bit annoyed that she was just staring at him without saying anything.

She stared, and he glared. The moments stretched solong that Riku was sure his right eye would start twitching from irritation.

Abruptly she blinked, then sighed, unfolding her arms and stretching out her legs. Her expression became neutral before she closed her eyes and leaned back, falling out of the tree.

_Shit!_

Without even thinking, Riku vaulted himself off the branch he had been lounging on and caught the plummeting girl with reflexes that were beyond normal. He bent his knees sharply when he hit the ground to sharpen the impact, then stood up straight and set the girl on her feet.

"If you're gonna commit suicide, you should do it alone," he growled with a harshness he didn't quite mean. Also, though it didn't show, he was surprised at his own voice. It sounded a bit lower, and smoother, than he remembered.

The girl regarded him with those curious eyes again, then clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head. "... Commit suicide?"

"You know, self-slaughter? Kill yourself?"

Her mouth formed into an 'O' of understanding, and she straightened her head. "I see. I'm not allowed do that. No one can die here in Nevaia without--"

"Nevaia?"

She nodded once, then stepped out of the shade of the tree into the bright sunlight. Illuminated, Riku could see her features clearly. The first thing he noticed was that the girl was well built. While slender, she didn't have a frail appearance at all, but she wasn't muscular either. Her simple attire - a flimsy yellow tank top that probably would reveal her stomach if she lifted her arms even the slightest bit, khaki shorts that were no where near mid-thigh, and low orange sneakers - didn't leave much to the imagination. Judging from how developed she was, she was probably closer to his age than another girl he knew - or once knew - so well.

He was really reminded of Kairi because of the girl's mahogany hair that held a rich reddish tint. However, it was much longer than hers. Even in a high ponytail, it reached to in-between her shoulder-blades.

Last, he noted the creamy tanned skin that was quite a contrast from his. Despite living on an island for as long as he could remember, he always had somewhat of a pale complexion. As she turned back to him with a sway of her rich tresses, he saw that she had gray eyes that slanted downwards.

The girl indicated the landscape with a sweep of her hand. "This world is Nevaia. You are not familiar with this land?" she asked, again linking her hands and tilting her head.

Riku shook his head, then stepped out from under the tree. Immediately, he was assaulted by the bright rays of light from the sun overhead. He threw up is his hand instinctively, and he found he received more protection than he thought he would when he saw his hand was covered in a black glove.

_Just like in that dream._

"Are you alright?" the girl asked.

"I...can't see," Riku managed in a hoarse voice. Not only did the light blind him, but it even burned his eyes considerably .

The girl wasn't sure what to do, but another problem arose. She noticed the sun was beginning to dip; it would be night soon. The stranger was having problems seeing, so she took hold of his right wrist and began to take him away. He couldn't follow her if his eyes were covered.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Riku demanded, taking his other hand from his eyes but keeping them shut tight.

"It will be dark soon. We have to go. They are coming." The girl quickened her pace when she saw the shadows grow increasingly faster. It seemed they were chasing them.

The burning began to subside, and Riku dared to open his eyes as he stumbled behind the girl. Even though his perception was still blurry, he could see what was troubling her. The sun was going down... But it had been so bright earlier. How could night come this quickly?

It wasn't normal. Even if he wasn't familiar with this world, there were two obvious clues that led him to believe something wasn't right. The girl, an native, was panicking (albeit rather... subtly, he noted). Secondly, and what disturbed him the most, was that he could feel the impending darkness. It felt as though it were on the hunt...

His vision cleared completely, and he witnessed the death of the sun, the blazing orb almost completely devoured by the horizon, bloody streaks staining the darkening sky. Also, he saw a house in the clearing, and it must have been the girl's home from the way he felt her tug anxiously at his arm. It was still quite a distance away, and she had been running full steam the whole time. She would be tired soon, and if she slowed down even the tiniest bit...

Riku looked over his shoulder. The sky behind them was already mournful shades of deep blue, and tears could be seen twinkling in the sky. The darkness was skimming along the ground... He didn't feel exactly threatened by it, but he could sense its intentions, and...

He looked ahead of him at the girl. He didn't really care what happened to her, but she was determined to escape the darkness. And it was as determined as she was to reach its goal...

There was something going on here, and he didn't want to be left without answers.

He could see perfectly now.

With a yank, he pulled back the girl and scooped her up into his arms effortlessly. She gasped in surprise, but otherwise was silent and didn't struggle.

Without a word, Riku dashed into a sprint, just feeling the darkness breathing down his neck, reaching around to the maiden in his arms. He was much too fast for it, and within a few moments he reached the door of the little cabin. Turning slightly, he rammed into it with his shoulder, almost ripping the wooden entrance off of its hinges with the impact. As soon as he was inside, he turned and slammed the door with his foot.

He heard the darkness pound against the door in frustration outside, and in response he braced his back against it, sliding down to the floor with the girl still in his arms. Wails and howls of defeat were heard, then he could feel the darkness creep away. The only sounds were his own heartbeat and the heavy breathing of the girl.

Riku began to meditate on the events of the last few minutes. From he the way he knew exactly how the darkness moved and felt, and also from his speed and sensitivity to light, he understood that he was truly part of the darkness. Or at least, he was somewhat in control of it. But how? Thinking back, he found he couldn't remember much of what had happened to him before that dream - or vision, maybe - or how he could have ended up in this world of Nevaia.

The girl finally took one last deep breath and was able to regulate her breathing. Settled down, she looked up peculiarly at her... rescuer of sorts.

Riku could feel her eyes (always, always there was something or someone) watching him, and looked down. He could barely see the dusky orbs in the dim light of the room, and after another staring contest, he snapped, "What?"

She blinked. "What what?" Receiving a glare, she said nothing else and crawled out of Riku's hold, standing up and walking off to some area of the room. In a few moments, a sudden light filled the room.

Riku winced a bit at the sudden iridescence, but otherwise was unharmed. There was a whooshing sound, then a brighter blaze filled the room, and he knew there was a fire going. The way it was started confirmed something he guessed about the girl earlier, but any further thoughts were interrupted when he heard soft pattering against the wooden floor - she must have taken off her shoes - coming towards him. He wasn't aware that he had been staring at the floor until two petite feet came into view. He looked up at her, getting a good glimpse down her shirt, to see that she had her hands on her knees and was bending over, her face just inches from his.

This chick had some really bad social skills, not to mention she wasn't self-conscious about her appearance in the least. Then again, what was a pretty girl like her doing in a place like this, in the middle of a field, alone?

"Are you hungry?"

Well, at least she was cordial. Come to think of it, he wasn't famished at all. "No," came the quiet reply.

Okay... well, if people weren't hungry, then they were usually tired, she figured. "Would you like to come to bed then?"

Riku's reply this time was instantaneous. "_Excuse me_?"

"There's only one bed, so you have to sleep with me."

"... You really shouldn't invite strangers into your home."

"I didn't. You came in here." She stood up straight and walked away. Riku sighed, getting to his feet and glancing around at his surroundings.

It was a small home, fitting for one person. There was a window on the right side of the door that was at his back. The girl had sat down on a small couch in front of a fireplace, the fire burning there being the main source of light in the room and probably the whole house. There was nothing fancy about the place; it just had all of the necessary accommodations. The couch and fireplace were to his right, and to his left was a small round table and a wooden stove, along with a sink and a cabinet. A wall behind that with a doorway carved out of it most likely hid a bed and bathroom. There wasn't much decoration, save for a plush carpet and simple white curtains on the windows, and a small vase full of flowers from the field.

A simple house for a simple girl.

"You are not of this world. Why are you here?" she suddenly asked from her cross-legged position on the couch, facing him.

Riku didn't answer immediately. He walked to the window, crossing his arms over his chest and staring out at the darkness rather than the lovely girl. Why was he here? No, better yet...

"Why did you run from the darkness?" he inquired, without looking at her.

"I can't lose my heart."

Now she had his attention, and he turned his cerulean to her figure. "Do you know? About the Heartless?"

"Heartless?"

"Those born of darkness from people who have lost their hearts. They feed on the hearts of others, and..." Riku trailed off, not wanting to say anything about the Hearts of Worlds since the girl apparently didn't quite understand what he was explaining.

"Heartless..." The girl repeated to herself quietly, then went on. "No, I can't lose my heart because of something else."

"...Something else? What else could there be?"

"Well, there are..." She paused, and Riku noticed her eyelids were beginning to droop. Shaking her head, she tried to continue. "There are..." A yawn, then her eyes fluttered shut.

"Hey... Hey!" In a fluid movement he was at her side, and she fell backwards into his arms, unconscious.

_She's asleep._ It wasn't natural. There was no way she could have been that tired all of a sudden. _Magic._

With one arm around her back, he slid the other one under her knees and lifted her up, carrying her to the back of the house where he was sure her bed was. Finding it, he pulled back the blankets and laid her down, covering her back up and leaving the tiny bedroom to battle with his own thoughts.

_Who would want to keep her quiet?_ he wondered as he leaned back against a wall. He could feel that his had grown out, just brushing past his shoulder blades, and he wondered how much time had passed, and how he had changed. He looked down at his black gloved hands. Before he began to ponder about the girl, he really needed to look over himself.

The first things he noticed were the gloves. They didn't seem much different from when he last saw them, except that each glove came a bit higher up his hand and his wristbands were replaced with four little belts, two around each wrist. His arms were still bare, but his sleeve-less shirt was quite different. It was black with an open collar that could be closed with the two straps on it, but it was zipped down to show just a bit of his chest. Four silver zippers ran down diagonally, two on either side of the main zipper. A second slider was zipped up a little, barely exposing his bellybutton.

His pants were still the same dark navy blue, but they fit loosely, hanging low. A black, silver studded belt circled his hips, with two chains that connected to separate belt loops and connected in the back. His pants were decorated with zippers, belts and pockets lined with yellow, flaring out slightly over his shoes, and each leg was loosely secured around the ankle by a black belt. His light, but sturdy boot-like shoes were black that were strapped down the middle and had black-and-white streaked soles.

He admired the new appearance, but with a grim satisfaction. He truly felt like he was of darkness, if not from the look then by the feel. Riku just felt... angry. At the world, the light, the darkness... himself. He was sure he was giving off a very negative aura, but if people usually shied away from that...

Then why wasn't that girl afraid of him?

He could sense she had a strange innocence about her, like she was a child. Then again, after everything he had been through, he supposed any other person would seem childish or immature to him. But that girl... there was just something not right about her naiveté, and he didn't know why but it disturbed him somewhat.

_There's no time for that. She's not my problem._

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the wall, as memories came flooding back...

* * *

"_Take care of her."_

_Sora looked him in the eyes, and in that moment he understood. He frowned in determination, nodding at his best friend. Riku's smile had been the last thing he saw, just as Donald, Goofy, and he shut the Door of Kingdom Hearts._

_A glimpse, a sliver, then the last of the light outside disappeared as the Door was shut. Riku slid his hand over what became a wall, then leaned his forehead against it, closing his eyes._

It's up to you now, Sora.

_He opened his turquoise orbs and turned to face Mickey as the king walked over to him, Keyblade still in hand._

"_You could have gone with them," the mouse stated._

"_I know." Riku closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "But I'm sure you must know, too, that this isn't over. I have to repent for my sins, and I know there's only way I can do that." Lifting his lids, he gazed resolutely at the shorter Keyblade wielder. "There is only one way to make sure the darkness is sealed."_

_The king's large eyes filled with worry. "Are you willing to make that sacrifice?"_

"_Ansem's body may have been cast into darkness, but his heart was not completely lost, and so he was able to manifest in me. He can take any form, so long as his heart exists. I can't feel him anymore, but I know he still lurks somewhere. I will make sure he never returns."_

"_Riku, how do you plan to do that?" When the teen didn't answer, His Majesty took a breath and continued. "There is one way to defeat this, but you need to understand that the darkness can not truly be destroyed. The light exists somewhere in darkness, and the darkness is sustained by the light."_

"_So what can I do?"_

_Mickey held out his Keyblade in front of him. "The reason this is happening is because the balance has been disturbed. The only way to stop this is for it to be restored. Sora may be the Sealer of Doors, but you have an important role as the Sealer of Hearts."_

"_... I'm afraid I don't quite understand, your Majesty."_

"_I knew this would come to pass." Mickey closed his eyes briefly as he said this, then reopened them to reveal a pained, yet resolute expression. "There's no time for me to explain, Riku."_

_The pale-haired youth let his eyes flicker briefly behind Mickey, seeing the Heartless once again rise from the depths of darkness. _Heartless are drawn to the darkness in people's hearts... I see.

_He looked back at Mickey. "My heart is strong. No matter what happens, I will not let the darkness control me." The king nodded, and Riku held out his hand. In a flash of sparkling light, the Keyblade disappeared from Mickey's hand and reformed in Riku's with a swirl of dark energy, changing its appearance. It became the ax-like Keyblade he had used in his last battle with Sora. _

A Keyblade formed of the hearts of the seven Princesses of Heart. But, if their hearts have been restored, then this must be formed of my own...

"_Just as a Keyblade can hold the power of light, it can also hold the power of darkness." Mickey's words confirmed Riku's thoughts. "Are you sure you're up for this?"_

"_I've already told you. My heart is too strong to be swayed by darkness." As he said this, both Keyblade wielders began to glow. Mickey was enveloped by a golden aura, whose glow caused the Heartless to shrink away, while Riku was enveloped in a darker, almost violet silhouette. "I will not give in to the darkness. I will not let it control me."_

_A flash, and Mickey was gone. Riku closed his eyes as he felt the darkness creep around him and eventually pull him into its infinite, murky depths. His grip tightened on his Keyblade._

In order to overcome the darkness, I will become darkness itself.

_And all was black._

* * *

Riku partially opened his eyes_. So that's what happened._ He had learned to control the darkness to some extent. But how long had it been since Kingdom Hearts was closed? And how long had he been in the darkness? Why the hell couldn't he remember anything that happened between parting with Mickey and when that dream started? Was he still dreaming?

That last question he knew was not true. He had touched that girl and felt warmth. A physical sensation he felt like he hadn't experienced in ages. And other feelings too; despair, annoyance, even brief relief. He felt alive. So, now that he was here, what would he do?

If he was in this different world, Nevaia, that either meant the worlds were once again connected, or something sent him here. In any case, he wouldn't find any answers by staying here.

Pushing himself off of the wall, his shoes made soft thuds against the wooden floor as he headed towards the door, opening it without hesitation and closing it with only a soft click. He expected to be immediately assaulted, but noticed that there was nothing within the vicinity of the light that escaped through the curtains from the fire inside. He took a few steps, but noticed that once he was out of the glow, he felt as though a wave of energy passed through him, or perhaps he had passed through one. He paused and looked over his shoulder, focusing until he noticed the flicker of the faint, dome-shaped outline of light that covered the whole house.

_A barrier._

He turned his eyes to the shadows before him that were already moving. The darkness was waiting for him.

And he was ready for it.

* * *

_Shit, shit, shit..._

He was taking too many hits. At first it hadn't bothered him when they appeared, but now the multiple minor wounds were starting to take its toll, as well as fatigue...

He had kept his thoughts blank after completing the first task of drawing most of them away from the little cottage. Now he only focused on watching, dodging, and attacking. Riku even managed to ignore the sticky warmth of fluids splattered on his bare arms and on his face, some his, most of it theirs.

It was slightly frustrating because he couldn't give a name to whatever it was he was fighting. The Heartless did not bleed. The Heartless did not act cunning when attacking their prey. The Heartless did not scream in pain when killed. The Heartless could not be killed, only destroyed. It was only destroying when whatever was being annihilated was not a living, breathing being.

But these... These were alive.

Riku cursed loudly as he took another blow and stumbled. Righting himself, his grip tightened on his Keyblade, wet inside his glove from blood and sweat. He waited until one of the lupine dark spawns lunged at him from behind. Sidestepping fluidly, he held out his weapon to that side, the 'beast' skewering itself on the ax-head of the blade, howling in rage and pain before dissipating. Another leaped at him, and Riku swung in a wide arc...

It was a crazy rush after that. This fighting... He had not felt this alive since... Well, he had never felt this alive. And he was almost happy to know he could feel this way again, even if it was only in battle. The rush of adrenaline (Or was it the surrounding shadows that gave him strength?) ruled out his fatigue, and he continued to fight.

He wasn't aware that the dawn was coming until a ray peeked over the horizon, lengthening his shadow. He saw some of his adversaries sink into that stretch of darkness, while the others vanished in a hiss of smoke.

It was over for now.

And just like that, he felt tired. Fighting the exhaustion that threatened to make him collapse, he turned and shielded his eyes as he trudged in the direction of the dawn, remembering that her house had been in that direction.

* * *

She awoke with a jolt, sitting up straight but swaying slightly with the vertigo that followed. When had she...? Then, it made sense, she realized as she placed a hand to her forehead. It served her right for almost telling him...

Where was that person, anyway?

Recovering from her brief spell of dizziness - a common side effect when Sleep was cast - she threw back her covers and placed her feet on the floor, padding softly to the door. It looked like the sun was coming up, but what was drawing her to the door?

Opening the entrance, she found herself face to face with that person. When had he...? He looked tired. Did he really...?

"Are you alright?" Since he was standing, he was at least still alive, but he still didn't look normal.

He had to support himself by bracing his arm on the door-frame, but managed to reply between breaths. "I'll... be fine," he paused, finding that he would have addressed the girl by her name but he had never bothered to ask. "What's... your name?"

Her ashen eyes widened. Why would he want to know her name now? "Chuya."

"Heh, Chuya." Pretty name, Riku thought as he managed a weak chuckle, smiling grimly at the thought that he was quickly losing his grip on himself and somehow he pondered on the how the girl's name sounded. "And I'm... Riku."

With that said, he lost his battle with his body and collapsed onto the girl, not hearing her yelp of surprise as he was asleep before they hit the ground.

Chuya blinked up at the ceiling. She wasn't exactly comfortable sprawled out underneath someone she didn't know, and he was heavy. But it felt like he wasn't in a position to get off her anytime soon.

"...This is different."

* * *

Wow... I sort of switched between perspectives here. I'll need to fix that some more. I screwed up a bit on Chuya's character here too.

Anyway, yes, I changed some details to Riku's outfit AGAIN. I'll hopefully make a drawing of it soon so my lovely readers will have a better visual.


	4. Chapter 3: Did My Time

Oh wow. Thanks for the new reviews (Joy, I'm on someone's favorites list.). I'm so sorry it took so long to update, but I had complications on a description in this chapter. Then I was distracted by my friend's Digimon fic (which is really really good.), among other things. Ari asked for it, so in this chapter we'll learn a bit more about Chuya. (You know, Ari, you've gotta be one of the most dedicated Riku fans I've seen. You ever thought of writing a sequel fic, since you love 'em so much? I'm sure it would be good.) Also, the action/adventure will really start.

The previous chapter's theme was Bother from the Spiderman soundtrack, and before that was Destati from the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack. This chapter's theme is Korn's "Did My Time".

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the original stuff...

Eclipse Realm

Chapter 3: Did My Time

It took the irritating rays of the sun beaming through the window to wake Riku from the most peaceful, dreamless sleep he had enjoyed in a long time. He growled and grabbed a fistful of the blanket covering him, yanking it over his head while he buried his face deeper into his soft pillow...

Then he paused, realizing that it wasn't his pillow, and he wasn't in his room. In fact, he wasn't even in a bed. The hardwood floor was nothing like the comfort of his bed, back on the island...

Pushing away the homesickness that started to bubble up, he sat up, throwing off the blanket but narrowing his eyes to protect them from the aggravating light. Maybe it was because of the rest, but in any case he could think a bit more clearly today, and he didn't have to strain to remember how he ended up in the floor with a sore back.

He had left, fought with was in the darkness, returned at dawn, and... Crap. He hoped he didn't scare the girl too badly.

"No, not just some girl," Riku told himself, pushing up his pale bangs as he placed a gloved hand on his forehead. "Her name is Chuya, and there's something different about her." _Speaking of Chuya, where is she?_

He stood up, turning away from the window and stretching his arms to pop his back before he gathered up the cover Chuya must have given him. He almost laughed, but only succumbed to a small smile as he thought of how she must have felt. He personally would have been dismayed if a total stranger came out of no where and just collapsed on him. But she must have taken it well, and was courteous enough to make him as comfortable as he could be on the floor.

Riku tossed the folded-up blanket and the pillow on the small sofa as he passed it. Judging from how bright the sun was, he guessed it was about noon, so Chuya must be awake.

"Chuya?" He called out softly, so that she wouldn't be alarmed when he poked his head into her room.

Nothing. Her bed was made up perfectly, and she was no where to be seen. Maybe she was just outside, but something made him feel that all wasn't well...

Riku's body went rigid, and he stiffly stepped out of Chuya's room. He extended his right hand, and his Keyblade appeared as he whirled around and swung it in an arch...

...And he wasn't surprised at the blade that met it in a shower of sparks and magic. Riku at once searched the face of his assailant, and saw that it was a woman. There wasn't much to see of her. She was wearing a violet cloak that only revealed black gold-trimmed gauntlets on each arm, and that was only because of her raised weapon. Half of her face was covered by side swept black hair that fell to her shoulders before curling outwards. Riku was glaring directly into the one hazel - no, golden - eye he could see, and she returned that piercing stare just as fiercely.

They held that position for a few moments, then the woman closed her eyes and sighed before taking a short leap back. She calmly stood up straight and sheathed her weapon, and wasn't startled in the least when she opened that ochroid eye to find Riku's Keyblade a hair's breadth from her short, pointed nose.

"As you can see," the woman said in a low, smooth voice, "I have no intentions of fighting you. Lower your weapon, Keyblade Master."

"Tch." Riku didn't like the idea of listening to a stranger, but it was obvious that she had no interest in fighting him. Silently, he lowered his arm, though he still kept his Keyblade in a tight grip at his side.

"Before you bother asking, my name is irrelevant at this moment, and no, she has not been harmed."

Riku's turquoise eyes widened only for a moment, then narrowed and sparkled dangerously. So, she...

"Yes, I can read minds. Now that we've got that established, come with me." The woman turned with a slight wave of her violet cloak and strolled to the door, opening it with no regard for Riku as he had to turn his head away from the light.

She looked back at him, and an eyebrow arched slightly in interest. "So you really are sensitive to the light."

_No shit..._ Riku thought disdainfully, a penetrating gaze aimed at her through slit lids as his eyes began to adjust.

"No need to be to so vulgar." The woman tossed her hair as she exited the small house.

Riku hesitated, then followed suit, closing the door behind him. He was starting to severely dislike this woman, who had just come out of no where and demanded his presence. She must have felt the hole he was trying to burn into her back with glaring eyes, and she began to respond to the thoughts running through his head.

"I hardly think it's just that you be bitter with my appearance when you are not of this world. Yes, I am aware of other worlds out there, as I am aware that you wield the Keyblade."

"Then we can cut the small talk," Riku said acidly. Even though she was in front of him, he could see her nod.

"I'm sure you have sensed the importance of the girl."

"Her name is Chuya. Why don't you call her that?"

Riku's tone caused the woman to pause and turn to him. "Chuya is the name given to her, but it doesn't define who or what she is. It is only necessary because as humans we have to address her by something." Returning her eyes to look ahead of her, the woman continued, regaining her pace. "But if it will cease your vexatious bewailing, then I shall call her by the name designated to her. For your sake."

Riku ignored the insulting sarcasm of that last comment as he pondered over what she just said. When she had turned to face him, the passion in her eye and words led him to think that she must have thought much more about Chuya than her words led him to believe. She didn't seem to be scolding him, but rather scorning whoever named Chuya. With anyone else, it would have sounded like they were defending a close friend, a relative... or a lover.

Due to the thoughts racing through her own mind, the woman didn't read Riku's current thoughts, instead saying, "Rowena, you shall call me."

"Rowena..." Even her name sounded strong, suggesting that Riku had much to be aware of. Regardless, he proceeded with the conclusions he came up with about Chuya. "I'm aware that Chuya knows magic, as most people in this land must. Someone put her to sleep last night, I'm guessing-"

"Yes, that much is true, but no, it was not of my doing."

Riku was starting to get annoyed. "I'd appreciate it if you would knock before entering my mind." With no reply, not that he was expecting one, he went on. "So who wanted to keep her quiet? Is Chuya the daughter of a high mage or something? What does she know that she can't tell me?"

"Don't misjudge for a minute that the people of Nevaia are fools. You think that because you wield the Keyblade that my people will mistake you for a savior and pour out their hearts to you, share our knowledge? We are well aware of the legend of the Keyblade. And those of the inner circle, myself included, know that you are the one that can bring ruin to this world."

Riku held his tongue. In the past, he would have never stood for a comment like that against him. But now, he knew he deserved every word, and that it was true.

"At any rate, what Chuya knows is none of your concern. It just so happens that her fate and yours have crossed paths."

"So, where are we going?" Riku noticed while he was sure they were walking that though they had started towards the massive tree were he first met Chuya, somehow they were headed towards a forest. Where had it come from? While he had been in the tree, he had only seen waves of flowers for as far as his sharp eyes could see in the light.

"It was an illusion." Rowena suddenly answered for him. "No one knows that Chuya lives out here, or that she even exists."

"Except for this inner circle and yourself," the teen added.

Unexpectedly, Rowena threw Riku a grin over her shoulder. "Aren't you a clever boy."

They entered the forest shortly afterwards, and as soon as they did Riku could feel it again. The forest was alive, not just the fauna and flora, but the air, the shadows...

"You feel them, don't you?" Riku could see Rowena place her hand on the hilt of her sword sheathed underneath her cloak. His own grip tightened on his Keyblade. "They exist wherever the faintest shadow lies."

"What exactly is 'it'? I had an encounter with them last night, and I know they aren't Heartless."

"The Elder will answer that and your other questions once we reach our destination."

"Which would be...?" Riku didn't like being led blindly.

"The holy shrine of Nevaia, Anavrin. That is where Chuya is." Rowena didn't initiate any more conversation, instead setting her thoughts on the boy behind her.

Being in the darkness so long must have enhanced everything about him, from his senses to his wits. He was still cautious of her, and wisely kept his weapon in hand. Rowena didn't need to read his thoughts to know what he was meditating on. She knew he was wary of the ever-present darkness, and her ominous presence. Also, Riku was also thinking of Chuya, of why such an important person was left on her own in the middle of a field. And what was to become of him now that he was in a new world. Anyone in his position would have had the same thoughts.

The raven-haired warrior frowned slightly as she made her way through the woods. Riku was cautious of her, but the forms in the dark were what disturbed her. They were drawn, yet repelled, by Riku. They must be drawn to the darkness in his heart...no. To the darkness that he was. Yet his hatred towards the same force he let himself become were what kept "them" at bay.

Interesting.

Riku breathed a quiet sigh of relief when they exited the woods a few minutes later. The darkness was off his back, for now anyway. His apprehension lessened enough so that he no longer needed his Keyblade and it disappeared in wisp of dark smoke. He noticed they were now walking along a dirt road.

"... Why are we taking so long?" Rowena's snort of contempt was his only reply, so Riku made himself clear. "I don't mind the exercise, but I know you didn't walk to the cottage, and Chuya didn't leave that way as well."

"How observant of you. Yes, we have a faster means of transportation."

"So what the hell are we waiting for?"

Rowena halted and turned around to Riku, with a mixture of surprise, annoyance, and sternness on her elegant features. "You have no reason to be so hasty. Chuya is in good hands. She has not been harmed."

"Then why was she taken? She only found me, that's all." Riku balled his hands into fists. "There's no reason for her to be punished for that! I---!"

"Quiet!" One harsh look, and Riku was silenced, but he still scowled at her angrily. "Chuya is not some mage-girl that you happened to encounter! Your appearance has set the wheels of her fate in motion once again!"

"And what exactly is her fate?" the pale-haired teen asked in an eerily tranquil voice. Riku's azure eyes widened substantially when he had a sudden suspicion. "... Is Chuya a... Princess of Heart?"

"Far from it," Rowena answered with equal placidness. "But similarly to the princesses, she is involved with the hearts of worlds."

"But if she isn't a Princess of Heart, and I doubt she's a Keyblade Master, then who is she?"

"The correct question would be what is she."

The Keyblade wielder narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'what is she'?"

Instead of answering his question, Rowena turned her face up towards the expansive blue sky and brought two fingers to her lips. She emitted a shrill whistle before looking at Riku again. "You may ask her herself when we arrive at Anavrin."

Riku frowned in both frustration and confusion. He didn't like how Rowena kept dodging his questions, though it was a clever act on her part, and he couldn't understand what she had whistled for.

"You'll see soon enough."

"Stop doing that," Riku growled.

Rowena just chuckled, a low quiet laugh that would have made any other person shudder, but Riku was no ordinary person. "You have every reason to keep your guard up, but you can relax once we reach the holy shrine." Riku noticed she shifted her weight to her other leg, and Rowena crossed her arms in a gesture of relaxation. "Now, tell me, what do you think of Chuya?"

"Why do you care?" Riku glared at her, but when she merely raised a thin eyebrow he sighed. He knew what that meant, and he decided he might as well tell her something before she probed his mind. "Chuya is nice. A bit too nice. It's unnatural how naive she is for a human, and it kinda gives me the creeps. She acts like a child, though..."

"You can tell she's much older than her actions say?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded. "How old is she?"

"How old do you think she is?"

"She looks to be my age, but hell, I don't even know I am now. I'd say she was about sixteen, but since this a world different from the ones I've seen, she could be hundreds of years old."

"A wise theory. But," Rowena's eyes narrowed in concentration for a moment, then she continued, "She would be seventeen years old, based on the calculations of your world."

"And how old is she by this world's calculation?" Riku placed one hand on his hip, finally a bit content that he could have a straight conversation with this woman... Wait a second...

Did she say Chuya would be seventeen? What did she mean by that?

"In due time, Keyblade Master." Rowena ignored Riku's piercing stare and directed her golden gaze to the sky.

Riku followed her glance, and in the distance he could see a small sphere of light headed in their direction at a rapid speed. In a few moments, the ball of light stopped to float above their heads. Rowena extended an elegant hand, where the glowing entity landed.

The greenish-white luminescence faded away to reveal a little dragon. The shape of the mythical lizard's body reminded Riku of Maleficent's dragon form, though the tiny creature was no where near as menacing. It was really only about half as big as his fist, with its long tail, wrapped around Rowena's wrist and lower arm, and neck making up most of its length. It was covered in bright, emerald colored scales all over its body, with an olive underside. Its wings, each one about as long as its body, were of a lighter verdant color, and were feathered and birdlike rather than leathery and batlike. Gem yellow eyes stared into Rowena's matching pair.

"I trust she arrived unharmed, Seikyou?" Rowena asked the dragon. It nodded, then gazed over at Riku. The teen was surprised at the intelligence his eyes - somehow, Riku just knew it was male. He was a bit unnerved at what he saw in those golden depths.

"...Why is he staring at me like that?"

"He is curious about you. Yes, Seikyou, he is the one. She must be ready. Let us depart."

Seikyou spread his wings, and a soft greenish glow enveloped him, then Rowena, and last Riku. Before the teen could protest or question what was happening, all three figures phased out of existence.

It was the oddest feeling. For just the briefest of instants, Riku felt like he had just dissolved into minuscule particles of energy and was being transported over a great distance. He knew it was happening, because he had felt this way before. It had been of his own power and energy, but it felt similar to when he had traveled across the worlds...

Just after he confronted Sora at Neverland... Kairi cradled in his arms...

When he materialized again, he found himself outside of what must have been Anavrin. Riku could feel the intense magic emanating from the shrine, and had to hold back an involuntary shudder. It reminded him of Hollow Bastion. Since he was standing just in front of the entrance, he couldn't see much of the shrine, save for the several columns supporting the roof, which was somewhere up in the shadows. He couldn't even see very far into the hall he was outside of.

For a holy shrine, it sure seemed foreboding.

The place Chuya was being held at... where she had been taken.

"Save your meditation for a later hour."

Rowena's voice and the clicking of her heels against the stone ground brought Riku out of his contemplation, and without hesitation he followed her into the sanctuary. Inside, the hall consisted of nothing more than a royal purple carpet that extended down the passage, trimmed with golden floral designs. Tall, gold candelabrums lined the inner sanctum, supporting the only source of light Riku could see. The blue flames cast eerie shapes on the walls, sometimes illuminating paintings on the walls of long forgotten heroes and gods, paying tribute by giving them ghostly appearances.

Riku still felt apprehensive about this place. Even Hollow Bastion was cheerier. A holy shrine? Hell, it looked more like a place for practicing dark arts, or the ideal spot for a devil-worshipping cult.

"Your guesses aren't too far from the truth," Rowena said quietly. Her voice was monotone, but Riku could guess that her expression was probably dark.

Soon the pair arrived at a cathedral-like door. Though it was closed, Riku could sense a powerful magic beyond the doors. It was coming from one person...

"Chuya is inside this room."

Riku's eyes widened. All that energy was coming from her?

"You want to see her, do you not?" Rowena knew what the answer was. Riku was going to question Chuya about what was happening. Even though he knew of the heavy shroud of mystery surrounding this girl, she was the only person in this world he even came close to trusting.

The doors began to open of their own will. Riku glanced back at Rowena briefly, but wasn't too surprised to find her gone. Seikyou fluttered past him into the inner sanctum, and Riku turned his turquoise eyes forward to find a long-haired person in a dress, kneeling in front of an altar of dozens of radiant candles. Riku watched in awe as the candles glared a fiery scarlet, in the next instant a soothing blue, then a mystical green, and then a soft violet. All the while, he could feel her magic flare, sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, but controlled.

Seikyou swooped around to hover in front of her face, and it was only when Chuya noticed the little dragon that she spoke, letting the candles fade into a normal pale yellow glow. Her voice was soft, but inside the silent temple Riku didn't have to strain to hear her.

"Seikyou...? He's here?" A quiet squawk from the green lizard, then she stood, her hair swaying slightly as she turned around to Riku.

He was amazed at the change in her, physically and mentally. The physical change he noticed first. Her hair was loose, freely hanging down to about a foot above her knees. Two braids that framed her face held the long locks away from her eyes, only her bangs free from the plaits. Her neck and shoulders were bare because of her red-violet strapless tube top.

The top just covered, which Riku couldn't help but admire, a nicely developed bust, and a deep maroon corset snugly fit around her waist, with a silver lining and oval decor.

Her sleeves were similar to the rest of her attire. They started at her shoulders, the same red-violet color, and each faded into a white that was mostly covered by a shorter maroon sleeve, with two sterling silver zippers on either side of her arm, that faded back into the previous color to end in a bell shape over her hands.

Her dress was white, interrupted by red-violet designs of two disks lined vertical between two crescents above a star-like pattern made of thin diamond shapes, that gradually faded into the rich berry color of her top. Two silver zippers, which were open about three-quarters of the dress, allowed her the freedom to walk unhindered and exposed her legs.

The gown stopped just short of her ankles, each with a silver-buckled white belt wrapped around them to secure her shoes. They were like sneakers in their design - maroon soles and matching tongue with a sterling zipper, and silver streaks below triangular red-violet shapes on a white background - but the heels were slightly raised.

Chuya surely wasn't dressed like some common girl, and she didn't feel like one either. She still had the disposition of a child- he could see that plainly etched in the way her dusky eyes stared curiously at him- but she didn't seem quite as innocent as before. There was something else buried underneath her calm exterior, almost melancholy, but he couldn't be sure...

She smiled a polite, yet unemotional, smile at him. "We meet again..." Chuya paused, stepping over to Riku with the grace of an apparition, and halting in front of him, hands folded and held down in front of her and head tilted to the side. "Riku, was it?"

A slight nod was his only reply, and for a while the two simply stared at each other. Riku was trying to see what emotion Chuya was holding deep inside of herself, and Chuya was merely in quiet awe of his eyes, which faintly glowed without help from the candles.

The two teens were interrupted by Seikyou, the tiny dragon at Chuya's side suddenly, squeaking softly as he landed on her shoulder.

The girl closed her eyes, bringing up a hand which Seikyou nuzzled affectionately. "Seikyou tells me that you had some difficulty getting along with Rowena," Chuya stated softly.

Finally, Riku spoke. "... You can talk to him, too?"

"I've known Seikyou all of my..." She paused, opening her eyes and averting them to the dragon, then went on, "For as long as I can remember."

Riku chose this moment to cut straight to the chase. "Chuya, what's going on? Why have we been brought here?"

She turned her eyes to the stone floor. "... The wheels of our fate are in motion again."

Riku frowned, then brought a hand under Chuya's chin, lifting her face to meet the icy glare of his eyes. "That's the same damn thing Rowena said. What is it?" His voice was low, quiet but demanding. "What does your fate have to do with mine?"

Chuya wasn't unnerved by the ice in Riku's tone and glare. What did she have to be afraid of? She sighed, closing her eyes again, and answered calmly, "That is not my question to answer. Seikyou is getting upset. Please move your hand."

Looking at the dragon, Riku could see him bristling, and he also saw that he had changed his colors. His verdant coloration was replaced with various shades of silver and gray, and his eyes were clouded and stormy. Acknowledging his expression, Riku removed his hand, and Chuya raised her eyes and walked around him and through the doors.

"Where are you going?" Riku snapped, turning around sharply to follow her. He did not intend to sound so rude, but he was not about to lose the only person he could talk to.

"I haven't seen you eat since we met, and Rowena most likely didn't give you time, so you must be hungry," Chuya responded.

Riku opened his mouth to protest, as food was the furthest thing from his mind, but a growl from his stomach silenced him. Come to think of it, he couldn't even remember when he had last eaten. Even though he had a high tolerance for starvation, he couldn't go without food at all.

Chuya led him to another door that opened into a small bedroom. It must have been a guest room, since it wasn't too lavishly decorated. It was only furnished with a bed with stark white pillows and a wine-colored quilt and a small round table with two chairs. A silver platter that held various fruits, meats, breads and cheeses sat upon the table.

Sensing Riku's apprehensiveness, Chuya sought to ease him. "I prepared the food myself. I'll join you again when you are done to talk to the Elder. Enjoy." Without another word, she left, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Outside, Chuya leaned back against the door for a moment, then started down the hallway, preoccupied with thoughts of what was to come rather than the mysterious boy she encountered just barely half a day ago.

She didn't notice another presence nearby, even when Seikyou left his perch on her shoulder, until a voice spoke up.

"Does that boy not interest you?"

Chuya halted, then turned around to face Rowena, who just seemed to materialize from the shadows. Leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed and golden eye closed, her calm appearance betrayed her racing thoughts. With her cloak shed, her attire was revealed. A sleeve-less black garment covered most of her body and was similar to a kimono, except that it cut low over her ample bust and was slit to a high point on her thighs. The black garment was lined with gold trim, with the figure of a red dragon reaching up from the bottom of the front flap, tied securely around the waist with a scarlet sash. Her thin high heeled boots were black leather with pointed silver toes and extended up to mid-thigh, silver plates covering both knees. Her arms were clothed with finger-less gold trimmed black gauntlets that covered her arms to her elbows, a red arm band that circled around her right bicep and two golden bangles around her left. A black, spiked collar encircled her slender neck, the finishing touch to this warrior's dark ensemble.

Most were intimidated by Rowena's dark atmosphere, but Chuya was used to the maiden warrior. "Reading my thoughts again, Rowena?" Chuya required with a false smile.

Rowena pushed herself off of the wall, walking over to stand in front of Chuya, staring at the younger girl with something akin to lust as she intimately traced the outline of her heart-shaped face with long, elegant fingers. "I hate it when you smile. So disingenuous, yet I can't helped but be transfixed by how innocent it makes you look." Rowena's voice faded to a murmur as she took gently took hold of one of Chuya's braids, bringing it to her lips.

"You say that quite often," Chuya said, her smile not faltering. "Sometimes using different words, but I suppose you always mean the same thing."

"Yes." Rowena rubbed the soft plait of hair against her cheek before letting it drop, placing one hand on her hip as the other toyed with some loose strands of Chuya's hair. "Tell me, what are your thoughts on the boy, Riku?"

"I haven't really thought of him much. But he's nice, I guess, and quiet. He doesn't seem to like the darkness very much. And he's heavy. Riku is very different from any other person I've seen, not that I have seen many people," Chuya concluded.

"More than you know..." Rowena released Chuya's hair, looking directly at the girl with surprise in her golden eye. "What do you mean 'he's heavy'?"

"After I woke up, he fell on me. Strange place to fall asleep."

"... I see." Rowena had probed Chuya's mind, understanding what had happened. She stroked Chuya's mahogany locks for a moment, then crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Go to the main altar. The Elder is waiting there. Speak with him, then Riku will join you."

Chuya nodded, then turned and continued her way down the passage, disappearing into the distant shadows. Rowena's shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh. She was relieved that the boy's presence didn't stir any alien feelings in Chuya. Not that any would have been, but with the most powerful Keyblade Master around her, anything was bound to happen. Mentally, she chided herself for being so paranoid, especially with the thought of anyone touching "her" precious Chuya.

The dragon, once again verdant with topaz eyes, cooed softly.

A low chuckle escaped Rowena. "Yes, Seikyou, I am truly foolish."

* * *

Riku stopped counting the minutes that passed, his lean form laid out on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head. Having finished off most of what Chuya had prepared for him, he took this down time to contemplate his future.

He clearly remembered what his intentions were when he separated from King Mickey. He knew the darkness needed to be closed off, him with it, if necessary, but he needed to figure out just how he was to accomplish that. He didn't know if the barriers between the worlds was down or not, nor did he know the locations of his once friends...

Sora, no doubt, must be looking for him and the king, but what of Kairi? Did she make it back to the islands safely? Worse yet, he needed to know Ansem's whereabouts, since he couldn't feel him inside of him anymore...

And then there was himself. What had happened in the time between when he separated from King Mickey and met Chuya, and how much time had passed? Could he still control the Heartless?

His thoughts were interrupted when Rowena entered the room without even bothering to knock.

"It is time."

Leading him to another intricately designed cathedral door, Rowena left Riku to face the Elder alone. The room was larger than the room he had found Chuya in, and the only room that had a source of light, a white glowing orb somewhere at the top of the dome-shape ceiling. The sudden transition from shadowy darkness to bright luminescence did irritate Riku's sensitive eyes, but he was gradually getting used to the light. It wasn't long before he was able to get a bearing on his surroundings, examining what was around him as he stalked down the aisle.

Like the inside of a church, a carpet led all the way down an aisle, lined on both sides by kneeling cloaked figures, and stopped at the foot of a small series of steps that led to the only faces that could be seen in the room. Seated beside a throne on a large plush pillow was Chuya, hands folded in her lap, and in the throne at her side was the Elder.

He wasn't a very big man, wrinkled and shriveled with age, but he was still a living symbol of wisdom and strength, clothed in the long white and gold trimmed robes of a bishop. Long and snowy white perfectly described this man's mustache, beard, eye brows and pulled back hair.

Despite his age, his voice was loud, low and booming, as he stood, spread his arms, and spoke.

"Keyblade Master, I, the Supreme Elder Aelgar, welcome you to this land, Nevaia!" His voice echoed for a moment towards the summit of the shrine, then he continued, lowering his arms. "I have heard much of you, young Riku, and have anxiously awaited your arrival."

"You can cut the crap, Grandpa," Riku snapped, halting a few feet from the foot of the stairs. Dramatically, he summoned his Keyblade in his right hand and swung it in an arch as he spoke, pointing it at Aelgar. "I've got questions, and I know you have the answers, so spill it. What the hell am I doing here? And don't give me that 'wheels of your fate' bullshit."

Raising a wrinkled hand to silence the murmurs of outrage that came from the clerics, Aelgar looked sternly at the pale haired teen. "The time has come for you to determine your destiny." Aelgar folded his hands within the folds of his large sleeves. "The answers you seek can be found by you and you alone. In order to fulfill your dreams, you must go to the place of perpetual night, where towers of steel are forever steeped in the shadows. There, you will get a glimpse of the other side of the mirror."

"...Is that it?" Riku lowered his arm, his Keyblade gone in a flash of dark light. "What about Chuya? Everyone keeps saying our fates have crossed paths. What does her fate have to do with me?"

Bushy eye brows came together in a frown. "You wish to open the door, do you not? You will need her to accomplish that."

"Why? What can she do?" Riku glanced briefly at the girl mentioned. Her eyes were closed, and her face passive, so it was impossible to read her expression. Looking back to Aelgar, he continued. "Chuya is not a wielder of the Keyblade, or a Princess of Heart. How will she open the door?"

"That will be revealed when the truth is necessary. Now, to aid you in your upcoming confrontation." Aelgar spread his hand, and when looked down at his left hand Riku was speechless at what materialized in it. A Keyblade, one of light, with a paopu fruit decoration hanging from the end...

Sora's Keyblade... Oathkeeper.

* * *

Not many edits needed to be made here. But my niece was just here, so if there's any strange text here I'd like to be informed.

Reviews are appreciated.


	5. Chapter 4: In the Arms of an Angel

This chapter's theme is... a Sarah McLachlan song. And as I'm about to revise it, Kid Rock's cover of "Feel Like Making Love" plays. Oh, Riku, you naughty thing.

Disclaimer: I own the games, a poster, and a soundtrack.

Eclipse Realm

Chapter 4: In the Arms of an Angel

"What's the meaning of this?" Riku demanded, his eyes sparkling with such an icy look that Chuya was sure he could have frozen Aelgar with his glare. "Was Sora here? Answer me, damn you!"

Aelgar remained calm, his ancient, wise eyes locking onto Riku's, silently daring the younger man to threaten him. "The one you seek," he said slowly, "has never appeared in Nevaia. However, I believe some of your fears will be calmed by reading this."

Aelgar raised a broad but wrinkled hand from within his robes, and something flew over to Riku, guided by magic. Riku caught the object in one quick, fluid twist of his left hand. Chuya watched as his usually stoic expression turned to one of shock when his eyes fell on the item. What could be on that simple object to surprise him so?

Riku was almost startled when he felt a strong but slender hand on his shoulder.

"Come. Your time here is done."

"Like hell I will!" Riku began to raise the Oathkeeper, but in an instant Rowena was before him, her own weapon - a thin, double-edged sword with ornate gold dragons wrapped around the hilt - drawn and ready for a fight should Riku cause one.

"If you wish to find him, I suggest you lower the key and prepare to leave. Now."

Again, Chuya noticed the strange glint of surprise and anger in Riku's pale eyes.

Rowena dropped her stance and strolled past Riku towards the doors. Chuya thought she heard Riku growl under his breath. He glared at Aelgar for a moment longer before he turned sharply and followed Rowena, without another glance at Chuya.

Their fading footsteps left a hollow echo in the silent hall. The clerics were occupied with their own thoughts about the dark Keyblade Master and the difference between him and the two other known wielders. Aelgar inwardly groaned, fearing just how Riku would affect what was to come.

The tranquillity was broken by a quiet voice.

"Elder...?"

Aelgar opened his eyes, and his bushy brows were raised as he turned his head to look at Chuya. "What is it you inquire...?"

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Chuya's gaze faltered from Aelgar's, and she ultimately looked away without saying anything.

"Girl," Aelgar said sternly, "you would not have interrupted my musing if there was no question plaguing your mind, which there should not be. Speak, now."

At length, her dusky eyes turned back to Aelgar, and Chuya's face was impassive as she asked, "Do you know who Sora is?"

His surprised and somewhat interested expression stayed for a moment longer before he frowned. "Whether I know of him or not is none of your concern. But..." His look softened as he questioned, "Why do you even wonder?"

"I... I just thought that if you knew who this... Sora is, then why did you not answer Riku?"

"Hmph." Aelgar turned his glare down the aisle. "You need not concern yourself with such trivial thoughts. You know of your duty. Prepare, for you will be departing with the Keyblade Master once Rowena is through with him. Go."

"Yes," Chuya said, rising from where she sat.

She left the chamber through a door behind Aelgar's throne. Now in the private, dimly lit hallway that few were allowed in, Chuya was mercifully left with nothing but the taps of her footsteps against the stone tiles, and her own thoughts.

_... Is it so wrong for me to wonder at all?_

Tap, tap, tap...

_I believe that item was a letter written out just for Riku. Who sent it to him? Could it have been... Sora? Riku was so... different. I have only seen him quiet, like a stone, or angry, like a storm. What could have been on that piece of paper to make him change so?_

Tap, tap, tap...

A small smile appeared on her face for no reason, and she folded her hands in front of her.

_I should stop thinking about this. It is not my concern - just as the Elder said - or my place. I will only be with Riku until we reach the city, and then I will be accompanied by him, my Guardian. I shall be on my way to fulfill my duty, and never see Riku again..._

Chuya reached her private chambers, and as she opened the ornate door her smile faded, leaving her face passive and indifferent, just as barren as the room with sparse furniture and dull decor.

_... and that does not bother me in the least, of course._

She walked into the room, picking up a violet cloak that was similar to the one Rowena had worn. She hugged it to her chest as she closed her eyes and sat down on the dull rose quilt of her small bed.

_But as long as no one is around, and no one is bothered..._

Chuya's grip tightened on the cloak, and though she knew it was futile, she thought about Riku. He was so strange, so different from anyone she had ever met, even more so than Rowena and her Guardian.

He reminded her of the nights when she couldn't sleep and was forced to lie there in her bed, all alone in the dark cottage. He was like a star, pale and distant, yet he glowed faintly despite the darkness that forever shrouded him. She could see that especially in those eyes.

_I never thought I would have the chance to meet someone like him. I don't understand why I have all of these thoughts now. My "life" thus far has been straightforward. What is it about Riku that has made me think so much lately?_

She sighed, standing up and wrapping the cloak around her, fastening it with a golden clasp at her throat and raising the hood so that her entire body was covered save for her shadowed face.

_But I can't regret that I will never understand why I am beginning to think this way._

Chuya raised her ashen eyes, and moved to leave the room.

_Rowena and the Elder would not be pleased with my musings. It will be fine not to tell them of this, since the reason for these thoughts escapes me. It's time for me to leave now._

* * *

Riku cursed again as Rowena phased out of his sight. _Hell of a way to teach me a lesson._ He, of course, wanted to leave immediately to look for Sora and King Mickey. However, she had prevented him from doing that, and instead led him to this room. 

He should have guessed he would be in a fight from the circular, arena look of the dim chamber. Rowena had explained to him calmly that he wouldn't last a minute in the city in his current state of mind. She had said, "In order to find what you seek, you need to fully utilize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses." Then she had attacked. Her speed had surprised even him; she kept phasing in and out sight, and her attacks were fluid like water. He was barely able to block her blows, let alone parry or counter-attack them.

_I need to focus._ The chamber was dark... Of course! He had been so distracted by his worries that he forgot to consider his surroundings. Rowena was fast, but he was in control of the darkness, and he could use that to his advantage. Riku closed his eyes, using his stronger sense of sight, and in his mind's eye he was able to see Rowena approach him from behind.

_Got you!_ Riku turned and brought up his Keyblade, meeting Rowena's blade in sparks of magic. Both warriors jumped back, but Riku closed the gap in between them with a forward dash.

Rowena just smirked and held her blade up horizontally, stopping Riku's downward slash. "Very good, but you are still not using all of your resources."

"What?" Riku growled, jumping back and holding his Keyblade out in front him.

"Oathkeeper lies slack in your hand." Rowena indicated the Keyblade in Riku's left hand with a nod of her head. "Why do you not use it?" The Keyblade Master said nothing, and she continued. "You have it for a reason. As a memento of your dear friend, shouldn't you put it to good use?"

"Sora is not dead!" Riku barked, bristling with rage and determination. "I will find him!"

"And then what?" Rowena sheathed her sword in the scabbard on the belt around her hips, amused at Riku's sudden silence as he lowered his Keyblade and the way his eyes turned down. Her heels made loud clacks in the quiet chamber as she strolled towards the exit, but she paused just as she passed Riku. "You don't know what to do if you see him again, do you? You will soon undergo many trials that will determine if you truly deserve to be the Keyblade Master, and you must use many powers to succeed. Are you afraid that the light will reject you?"

Rowena did not expect an answer from Riku. She left him there in the chamber, to wallow in the darkness of his own doubt.

_Will the light reject me? ...I've already been forsaken by all that is holy._

He looked down at his Keyblade, formed of his own dark powers.

_My only solace is in the shadows, where I am neither loved nor hated._

His icy gaze turned to Oathkeeper.

_There is no place for me in the light. How could I ever use it?_

* * *

Chuya sighed in relief when she pulled open the secret door and found Riku standing in the middle of the chamber, his back to her. It looked like Rowena didn't hurt him too badly, but... She delayed going to him when she noticed he was looking at the weapon Aelgar had given him. Then, she listened to his quiet words as he turned his head upwards. 

"Sora... What do you want me to do?"

The gray-eyed girl hesitated before stepping out, closing the door quietly behind her. She had only taken a few steps towards him before Riku noticed her presence, turning around half-way to her.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

Chuya answered, neither her pace nor her resolve wavering, "It is only I, no one in particular."

Riku relaxed, recognizing the soft yet somehow apathetic voice. "Chuya..." If she had not spoken, he probably would have attacked her; he was very suspicious of people in cloaks, and had good reason to be. He let his guard down, sensing no ill intentions from the young woman. Yet this also disturbed him...

"So, these are your weapons," Chuya stated, coming to a stop in front of Riku. "Are these Keyblades?"

"Yeah. Well, sort of." Riku slightly raised his own dark Keyblade. "This one is mine, but the other one-"

"Belongs to Sora?" Chuya noticed that Riku slightly flinched when she mentioned that name, then relaxed and looked at her curiously.

"You said this Keyblade 'belongs to Sora'. Do you think he's alive?"

Chuya's dusky eyes widened. Why would he ask her what she thought? Her dark lashes soon concealed her eyes. "It does not matter what I think."

"Well, I would like to know."

She looked up at Riku again with wide eyes. His tone had changed; his voice was a little softer. "I... I guess Sora must be alive. How else would he be able to give that Keyblade to you? I don't understand why he would give it to you, though, if it belongs to him, and you already have your own."

"I would like to know that, too." Riku looked down at his Keyblade, willing it to leave his hand in a wisp of dark energy. He looked over to Oathkeeper, and paused.

"You are troubled."

He looked up at Chuya, wondering briefly why she only stated what she saw instead of inquiring about his feelings, then turned his eyes back to Oathkeeper. "I'm not sure... if I'll be able to summon Oathkeeper."

"Sora would not have given it to you if you weren't able to use it."

_It almost sounds as though she's trying to assure me._ Still, he wouldn't know if he didn't try. He figured he was hopeless either way, so he let go of his anxiety, and Oathkeeper vanished from his hand in a flash of golden light.

"Well, since that's over with, I guess we'll be going now." Riku turned and immediately headed towards the exit. His thoughts of Sora led to another person... The young woman behind him was a complete mystery. Chuya was so... different. He knew most people would see him as a brooding enigma, but the gray-eyed girl he wasn't so sure about. At first glance, she seemed like a sweet person, but due to his experience with hearts so long ago, he could tell that was a false image.

He sensed nothing at all from her. So what did she mean when she told him her views about Sora and Oathkeeper? If only he could have seen her face, then maybe...

Riku paused, just outside of the room where he fought with Rowena. "Chuya...?"

"Yes?" Chuya had stopped also to avoid walking into Riku's back. Why had he stopped anyway? Didn't he want to leave as soon as possible? She stood still when Riku turned to face her, suddenly raising his hands to her hood and pushing it back, revealing her face to him. Then, he just looked at her.

Riku looked straight into her eyes. He was sure he was glaring, but Chuya stared right back at him, her face tranquil and her gaze never faltering. He stared deep into those pools of gray...

...and saw nothing.

He figured as much. Riku silently chided himself. Whatever he was looking for, what made him think he could find it in Chuya? She was nothing more than a stranger to him.

Without so much as an apology for invading her private space, Riku stepped away from Chuya, turning sharply on his heel and resuming his pace down the hall. Chuya looked after him for a moment, tilting her head in curious thought before she followed him.

* * *

_What he seeks, she will never have._

Golden eyes watched the two teens as they made their way down the hall from afar.

_Interesting. He searches an empty vessel._

There was a smirk of amusement as the girl was seen asking the enigmatic young man something, causing him to stop and allow her to pass him, so that she was leading him down the hall.

_Fate has so much, and yet nothing, in store for you..._

_... my little doll._

* * *

Eventually, Chuya led Riku to the end of the hallway, where there was another set of cathedral-like doors that were as grand as the pair that led to the main chamber, only smaller. Chuya moved to open the doors, but as she placed her hands on the decorated wood she paused and turned to look expectantly at Riku. 

"What?" he snapped after a moment.

"These doors lead outside. The light... It hurts you. Are you ready?"

Riku silently nodded. _She must have remembered what happened when we met. But... it looks like that, no matter how much it burns, how much it resents me... I will have to endure the light._ He narrowed his turquoise orbs as Chuya opened door, but had to shut them briefly and turn his head to the side from the force of the rays of the sun.

Seeing his discomfort, Chuya made a repeat of what she had done when she first met Riku. She took his hand and led him out of the main structure of the temple, into what would serve as his temporary sanctuary.

Riku didn't pull away from Chuya when he felt her take hold of his wrist, and willingly followed her to wherever she was leading. She stopped after only taking a few steps, releasing her grip on Riku. He felt that the air around him cooled, as if he had walked under some shade, and upon cautiously opening his turquoise orbs he saw that Chuya had indeed led him into some shadows.

They were currently standing in an open air hall. To one side was the outer wall of the shrine, and on the other were the lands of Nevaia, waves of emerald grass. There was an arched ceiling above them, supported by tall columns of granite, each with carvings of past myths and legends that were no more than folklore in this land.

Chuya had led Riku into the shadow of one of these columns. She stood a few feet away from him, her hands folded in front of her, her gray eyes watching him patiently.

"Can you make it?" she asked quietly.

Riku narrowed his eyes as he looked at what was ahead of him. Past the shadow he was standing in, there was a band of sunlight, then another shadow where Chuya was standing.

Surely, he could make it through the shadows and the light to her without too much trouble.

He balled his hands into fists at his side and began to walk towards Chuya. He told himself to just keep walking, don't flinch, don't step back, don't slow down. But when he stepped into that ray of sunlight, his vision went white for a second, making him momentarily blind. He refused to cover his eyes with his hand, but he still had to close them, trying to ease the burning with the soothing darkness behind his closed lids.

Riku had stopped, and he immediately told himself to keep going. He tried to open his eyes, and through the blur and dancing spots of color, he could just make out Chuya's form ahead of him, still waiting.

_If I can just make it through the light to her..._

After a brief pause, he took one careful step forward, not wanting to rush straight to Chuya. Maybe, if he stayed in it longer, the light would gradually begin to accept him into its warm embrace once again... But right now, he needed to make it to the gloom.

Riku took one shaky step, then another, then another...

Chuya watched calmly as Riku stumbled towards her, but her eyes widened once he stepped into in the shadow. There was no sound or strange light; it seemed to happen spontaneously. At the exact moment he stepped fully into the shadow, Riku was suddenly covered in a long, hooded black leather coat.

Riku must not have expected this, for he looked surprised and instantly stopped. He looked down at himself, inspecting the leather that covered his body. Though it was a coat, the top fit against him so tightly that the contours of his chest could be seen clearly. A silver zipper ran down the front of it, and both the back and front of the coat were split down the middle at the end to allow him plenty of room so as not to hinder his mobility.

Still, this alarmed him, even though it didn't show on his face; not that it would have been seen anyway in the shadow of the hood. Where did it come from? And how could he be wearing it all of a sudden? Riku looked up at Chuya, to see what her reaction, if she had one, was.

She was merely gazing at him with that look of hers, tilting her head to one side and all. It was enough to make him snap at her, which he seemed to do frequently to her. "What?"

With no answer, Chuya straightened her head and approached Riku. She extended one hand tentatively, her fingers grazing Riku's chest before she fully laid her palm on it. She let it linger for a few seconds before taking it away and looking up at Riku.

"It's only a coat. We should be going." She turned around and continued back down the open hall, pausing and looking back at Riku when he didn't follow after her. She wondered briefly if he was wary of going through the rays of sunlight, but he soon began to walk towards her again, this time not even flinching as he walked through the light. With the hood on, he must not have had a problem with it anymore. Chuya regained her pace when he caught up with her.

The two walked in silence until they came to the end of the hall. The floor dipped down sharply into a long series of stone steps that led out into the open fields of Nevaia. Though Riku's vision wasn't quite perfect, he could see that the steps led onto a dirt road that stretched out into the flat horizon. He could feel his heart beat faster with each step he took down the stairs.

Soon, he would be on his way. He would begin his search, his obligation to find Sora, King Mickey... Kairi...

He almost broke into a run when he hit the ground, but he paused after a few steps when he noticed he couldn't hear the soft tapping of Chuya's footsteps on the stairs. He turned around, repressing an urge to just run off and leave her in his haste. Riku was stopped by the look on her face.

With the hood away from her face, it was a little easier for him to read her concealed expressions. So far, Riku had not seen her happy, or sad; it seemed nothing pleased or upset her. He had seen her curious at most - she always did look at his eyes, but never really into them - but now... she looked thoughtful. Her gray eyes were locked onto the soil just beneath her from where she stood, on the very last step. Her hands were folded in front of her.

Chuya looked calm enough; why had she stopped?

Riku wasn't sure if he was curious or just impatient with her, but he called her out of her thoughts quietly. "Chuya?"

She blinked her gray eyes, glanced up at Riku, then back at the ground. Hesitantly, she gingerly began to lower her right foot, raising her arms held out but bent at the elbows for balance, and landed on the ground solidly with a little hop.

"I'm out," she breathed, her eyes never leaving the ground in front of her.

"...What do you mean?" Riku couldn't help asking. He was only partially turned towards her, one hand on his hip. Despite wanting to begin his journey, he chose to relax as he admitted to himself that he was mildly curious about Chuya's behavior.

"I've never been outside of the shrine before," Chuya answered, folding her hands again and looking at Riku, "unless I was at my own dwelling."

"So you've never been in the outside world?"

"No."

He could remember a time when a boy, who was long restricted by a cage of water, longed to know what was beyond the waves. What was past the stars? He had not known of the great pain and suffering that lay outside of that confining shell that was his life. Was it worth all that torture, or would it have been better to stay in that naivete, to live a happy lie?

As Riku looked at Chuya, ashen eyes almost alight with life, he knew that pain was all she would find out in this world, what she would find in any other world. But, if she was one of the lucky few who could find some sort of happiness...

"Well then," Riku said softly, glancing behind him as he waved his hand towards what lay ahead of them before looking back to Chuya, "...welcome to the world."

Chuya's eyes widened as she looked at Riku, whose face didn't look as sharp as she had always seen it, and in the same glance she could see the land that lay ahead of her. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again her look was calm, complacent.

She took her first step towards land.

* * *

For someone who had lived so isolated, Chuya didn't seem that excited about the world around her. However, when Riku would glance at her from the corner of his eyes, he could see her turn her head, trying to take anything and everything around her. 

Which was odd, because there wasn't much to see.

When he wasn't glancing at Chuya, Riku also observed his surroundings. That was really all he could do as they traveled down the dirt road. Why they were walking instead of just transporting to the city had bothered Riku. Upon asking Chuya about it, she had explained that she had not learned the spell that Rowena had used, and she did not know the location of the city anyway.

"Elder informed me that this road only leads to one place," Chuya had said. "If we follow it, we should reach our destination eventually."

After telling him she also did not know just how long that would take, Riku was silent as Chuya turned her attention to what was around her. The odd thing was that save for the endless, pale blue sky, the waves of knee-high grass, and the road they were on, there was nothing to see. The fields didn't even have the wildflowers like in the area Chuya lived in. What's more, there were no signs of any life save for the grass; no animals, birds, or even insects were seen.

So really, this place was quite barren. Seeking to break the odd silence, and to keep out of his own melancholy though, Riku decided to start a conversation with the girl walking by him.

"Chuya...?"

"Yes?" she immediately answered, turning her full attention to Riku. The way she stopped her observation of the world that was new to her to focus on him almost made Riku smile.

"...I was wondering," Riku began, keeping his eyes in front of him, "why do you live all alone?"

"Alone?"

"You know, why you're always by yourself. Doesn't it bother you? Don't you get... lonely?"

"...I don't understand. You make it sound as though there is something wrong with that. Should I be bothered?"

Riku was stunned at her words. Humans were naturally social, and usually couldn't live without someone there to lean on, since they were so easily dispirited. Deep down inside, Riku knew that he really liked people. He loved to be with others, but it seemed he always needed them more than they needed him.

Even if he didn't want to be, he had always been surrounded by people, until the most recent events in his life. It was hard for him to imagine anyone living their life in solitude, or something close to it, unless they were a monk or some other servant of a god. Chuya surely was not affiliated with any belief - she probably did not know what belief was.

She was about his age - maybe younger, since he wasn't sure how old he was now - yet she was like a child. She couldn't even understand the concept of being lonely.

Riku slightly lowered his head, finding himself struggling with words. "Well... it's hard to explain... I mean, it may not bother you or not, but I don't really know you, so..."

"I can't answer your questions..." Chuya tilted her head. "Riku, what is lonely?"

"To be lonely... means to not be around people who care about you. You could be in a crowd of people, but if they're all strangers, then they mean nothing to you. You'd still be lonely."

"So, you are lonely."

Riku finally turned his head to look at Chuya, but now she was looking ahead of her. "Sort of... but you're here with me-"

"No." Chuya closed her eyes briefly as she shook her head. "I'm not sure what caring is, but I don't think I care about you, and we are strangers to each other. So that means you're still lonely. Does it bother you, Riku?"

"...Yeah, I guess... No, it does bother me, but," Riku's eyes had darkened as he said that, but lit back up when he continued, "with you around me, it doesn't hurt as much."

Chuya's head tilted when she looked back at Riku. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean... I wouldn't feel so lonely with you around. I'd like to think of you not as a stranger, but as a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded. "A friend is a lot of things, but they're the greatest thing anyone can have. Since we're going to be together for a while, I'd like for us to be friends, if you don't mind."

This was different. In the past, if someone wanted something of Chuya - namely, Elder Aelgar or Rowena - they merely told her and she would obey. Not that she had a choice. Riku, though, was asking to be her friend. She wasn't sure what that meant, but it didn't sound like anything bad.

"Alright," she said at length, "I don't mind if we're... friends, but do we have to be?"

"We don't have to be," Riku replied, looking ahead of him again, "but it would be better for the both of us if we got along. We might as well be, since I'll be protecting you until we part in the city."

"You have no need to protect me. I am quite capable of taking care of myself."

"Yeah, right," Riku snorted. Inwardly, he smiled; his somewhat haughty attitude was returning. He must be really comfortable with Chuya. "I haven't even seen you with a rod, like most mages have, or any other kind of weapon. So I'm guessing the reason that old fart wanted us to leave together was to make sure you get to that city."

Chuya blinked, pondering over this strange change in Riku's voice. "You are mistaken. Our traveling together is just coincidence. I have no need for a rod or any other-"

Chuya halted her sentence and paused in her step when she saw that Riku had stopped. She couldn't quite determine his features with that hood shadowing his face, but she could feel the air around her tense. Turning her gaze ahead of her, she found a strange portal. A large space of smoky, blackish-gray nothingness blocked their way. She had no idea of what it could have been, but judging from Riku's anxiety, it was nothing good.

"So, you can take care of yourself?" he asked, his voice losing the strange tone it had a moment ago and becoming monotone. Even though they didn't look at each other, Riku could feel that Chuya had nodded. "Let's see how well."

Without warning, that portal stretched out, extending around Chuya and Riku until they were surrounded by all of that negativity. Chuya understood what the portal was when many pools of blackness formed around them, and they started to rise from them.

Riku summoned his Keyblade as he whirled around to stand back-to-back to Chuya. She held her hands up in front of her chest, palms facing each other as if she were gathering a ball of energy. Riku's eyes narrowed, full of deadly intent, as he easily recognized what was rising from the puddles of darkness. There was no doubt in his mind that these were Heartless. They resembled Shadows, but they were taller, and somehow more humanoid.

Neo Shadows. Riku didn't have time to wonder or worry about how he knew that.

Whatever they were, they were Heartless, and would be destroyed.

There were now about five dozen Neo Shadows surrounding them... Riku just barely restrained himself long enough to look over his shoulder at Chuya. He could see the red glow of a fire spell emanating from a small light in between her hands. She spread her hands apart as the glow quickly became bigger, and flames could be seen swirling around it, whipping out almost close enough to burn her hands.

Firaga; she sure as hell wasn't playing around.

The Neo Shadows circled them in jerky movements, their antennae ever quivering. Chuya stood ready with her spell, wondering why they weren't attacking. She knew that these were the Heartless Riku had told her of, and knew that their only purpose was to destroy. If that was the case, then why did they hesitate?

Her musings caused her to lose focus, and the Firaga spell in her hands suddenly trembled, losing stability. This caused Chuya to gasp as she realized what was happening, and her hands shook as she tried to contain it.

In this moment of vulnerability, a Neo Shadow lunged at her. Chuya quickly held out her hands, still not quite in control as a large fireball shot out and collided with the Heartless in mid-jump, exploding on contact and incinerating the being immediately.

Riku's eyebrow quirked in slight amusement. Chuya was a much stronger mage than Sora and that damn duck that he traveled with, but she couldn't quite control her spells. He pushed that thought away as he whipped his head around, bringing his Keyblade up as he sensed several more Heartless also commencing their attack.

The single command that went through Riku's head was the same as the Heartless at that moment: Destroy.

He jumped into the fray, his movements becoming blurs of stabs, slashes, turns, dodges. He was sure he would have lost himself and become an instrument of death, but the frequent roar of Chuya's string of Firaga fire balls kept him in touch.

There was one moment when time seemed to slow to a crawl. He had just swung his Keyblade, and was cutting through a group of Heartless when he sensed several more lunge at him from high above. He couldn't dodge them, and he would sustain serious injury if that horde landed on him. He wouldn't dare call for help, and Chuya was busy blasting away with her fire spells, occasionally using a strong Blizzaga to contain large groups of the Neo Shadows.

He knew there was one thing he could do... He refused to let himself be defeated here. Sora had wanted to make sure they would meet again, so in a way, he would help him, even if he wasn't there to fight at his side...

Without a second thought, Riku summoned Oathkeeper in his left hand and flung it at the group of Heartless. The Keyblade flew in an arc, obliterating the group that had tried to ambush Riku as his own Keyblade sliced through the last of the other cluster of Neo Shadows. He whirled around and raised his left hand above his head, catching Oathkeeper as it returned from its Strike Raid attack. He gazed at it in wonder at the fact that he was able to call upon it, then abruptly turned his attention back to the battle at hand.

Riku held both Keyblades out in front of him, prepared to finish off the Heartless that were left. They were only a few that were scattered apart, and Riku made a move to seek out and destroy them. He stopped in his tracks to avoid running into a sudden large bolt of lightning. He looked over his shoulder at Chuya, who was pointing one finger up above her. The Thundaga spell she was casting sent thick streaks of lightning all around the space they were in, and in moments the rest of the Heartless had been destroyed.

Riku sighed, lowering the Keyblades as he turned towards her. He was impressed to see that she had barely moved from where he had left her standing. He began to walk towards her, but the metallic glint of some object hanging in midair caught his attention. Stopping in about the middle of the arena, he bade Oathkeeper to leave his hand as he raised it above himself, catching the object as it floated into his gloved hand.

Riku saw that it was a keychain when he lowered his hand and brought it into view. In a flash of dark energy, the keychain disappeared, only to reappear attached to the end of his transformed Keyblade. From the dark coloration, chain-links, and Heartless-insignia ornament dangling from the end, Riku knew that this was Oblivion.

Chuya had turned around, and as she approached Riku she opened her mouth to comment on his new Keyblade. However, the only sound she made was a gasp when their surroundings suddenly changed. Soundlessly, within the blink of an eye, the space around them had vanished into thin air, to leave them in a very different atmosphere.

Riku's head jerked up at the sudden sound of thousands of raindrops. His icy eyes widened as he took in their current location. It was dark, which made it much easier to see, but he could detect the faint glows of streetlights in the distance...

This must be the city Aelgar mentioned. The place where he would get a 'glimpse of the other side of the mirror'.

At hearing her gasp, Riku turned his head to look at Chuya, who had just jerked her hand to herself and was looking at it curiously. It was wet.

"How strange..." she murmured to herself, causing Riku to raise a pale eyebrow. So she had never seen rain before. Now that he thought of it, why weren't they getting drenched?

He looked up, noticing that they were standing underneath the overhang of some building. Looking behind him, he saw a worn, wooden door, dimly lit by a hanging light-bulb that flickered dangerously. He could hear faint sounds on the other side of that door...

There were people inside of there.

His heart began to pound a little faster at the thought of finally being surrounded by normal people, not clerics or creepy old men or smart ass warriors. He reached out and closed his hand around the rusted doorknob, but paused. What if this wasn't real? What if he was just walking into a trap, an illusion played from someone's sick mind to screw with him even more?

He couldn't have imagined Chuya's surprise at the raindrop falling into her hand, nor could anyone else. Perhaps this was real. Why was he so excited about going into a crowd of strangers?

"Riku?" Chuya called softly behind him, causing him to glance over his shoulder at her. "What are you going to do?"

The dark Keyblade Master looked at her for a moment longer, then sighed and turned his eyes to the door again. "We're going inside."

He didn't see Chuya's eyes widen. "Both of us?"

"Yeah." Riku raised his other hand, pushing back his hood and running his gloved hand through his pallid hair. He took a deep breath, turned the handle and stepped inside, Chuya following close behind after wiping her hand on her violet cloak.

The bustle of conversation inside was hushed with the entrance of the two teens. Riku paused as Chuya closed the door, keeping her behind him as if to protect her from the probing glares of the room's inhabitants. The place looked to be a tavern, the dull lighting and decor as unattractive as the people who occupied the various tables and stools of the bar at the far right of the room. They were all grown men and women, and most of them gruff looking, save for a few scantily clad women. Curious but piercing glares were directed at Riku by most of the people, most likely because of his dark attire. A few of the harlots gave him an interested smirk or raised eyebrow, but most of the lewd stares were directed at Chuya, who seemed out of place and vulnerable in the room.

Riku's steely eyes sent chills down almost every spine as they roamed over the room, silently causing the men to return to their drinks and gambling with frequent glances towards the newcomers. Settling on the stairs that most likely led to some spare rooms, and the burly man he suspected was the innkeeper, Riku made his way over to the desk opposite of him. Chuya, though she was tempted to examine the room without Riku's broad back blocking her view, instead followed the young man, whom she found far more interesting than these new people.

"Excuse me..." Riku said when he stood at the desk. He was sure the man heard him, but he pretended to be more interested in the creased magazine in his hands. "Hey!"

"We ain't got no rooms," the man grunted, lifting his eyes briefly to glance at Riku before returning to his magazine, only to raise them again when he noticed Chuya standing quietly by the youth. He met her calm gaze, but when his eyes dipped lower he heard Riku growl warningly. The man heaved a heavy sigh, folded his magazine and rose from his stool.

"Don't see pretty girls like you here anymore," he said as he went over to a wall behind him filled with various keys. Choosing one, he returned and held it out to Chuya. "I've been expecting you, missy."

"Expecting me?" Chuya said, tilting her head. "But we have never met before..."

"Never mind that," Riku snapped as he snatched the keys from the innkeeper. "Come on." He headed for the stairs to their left.

After hesitating to steal one last curious glimpse of the innkeeper, Chuya proceeded. She thought she heard the man mumble as she made contact with the creaking steps,

"Great, with those young'uns runnin' around, trouble's bound to start again..."

Riku sighed in relief when he flicked on the lights to the room, glad that there were two separate beds instead of one. He suspected that most couples that came to this place were given single-bed rooms. He stood to one side, looking at Chuya.

"After you."

Chuya glanced at Riku before stepping inside of the room. He closed the door behind them, and his hand immediately unzipped his trench coat, soon shedding the black garment and tossing it onto a nearby round table. He went over to the windowsill opposite of the door, plopping down on it with one arm resting on a drawn up knee. He wearily sighed as he stared at the swirl of darkness and lights through the blur of the rain cascading down the glass.

Chuya, after watching Riku settle down, unclasped her own cloak and gathered it in her arms. She sat down on the bed closest to the door, looking down at nothing in particular and saying nothing until Riku broke the silence.

"So, now what?"

She raised her eyes and turned her head to meet his gaze, and he continued, "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now, but I guess my duty's done now that I've delivered you safely. So, where do you go from here?"

Chuya took her time in answering him. "This is not what I expected to find. Then again, I don't know what I'm supposed to expect. Perhaps there is a clue in the letter you were given?" She watched as his eyes widened, then as Riku reached down into his deep pocket and pulled out the white envelope.

"Yeah, most of my answers are probably in here," Riku said softly, as if he was in deep thought, "but I think I'll wait to read it. Otherwise, I might rush headfirst into something and end up killing myself before I even get started."

_**A wise choice.**_

Chuya's eyes grew round as she saw Riku freeze. It was almost the same way he reacted when the Heartless confronted them, but she had not sensed or heard anything, and he almost seemed... startled. "Riku?"

"...It's time." Just like before, Riku's voice lost that soft tone, and he became cold and detached. He rose swiftly, leaving the letter on the windowsill and rushing to the door. Chuya's soft voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

Somehow, her simple question calmed him, and he glanced at her briefly. "Looks like it's time for me to take a look into that mirror." His eyes turned downwards as he silently reprimanded himself for forgetting about her, this girl he wanted to call a friend, and what could happen to her in this sort of environment. A gentle tug on his shirt caused him to turn around to face Chuya.

Riku had been so deep in his thoughts that he had not heard her rise from the bed, and now Chuya was standing by him, holding out his cloak to him. "... I don't understand how water falls from above, but I'm sure you would still get wet, and that would not be pleasant for you."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Riku was stunned. His brows rose and his turquoise orbs widened, and he probably would have allowed himself a smile if it were not for what he was about to face.

So he only closed his eyes, accepted the coat, and said softly, "Thank you."

Chuya was prepared to ask him what he meant by that, but Riku had already pulled on the coat and left the room. She folded her hands in front of her mouth thoughtfully, then returned to the bed, sitting down and sighing tiredly. Rest would have to wait. Right now, she could only wait for Riku's return, if he did indeed return.

* * *

...Chuya is difficult to write. Like, srsly. 


	6. Chapter 5: Until the Sun Rises Up

(Yeah, I'm totally deleting the long and needless notes.)

Thanks to Malik's Mika about the insignia on Oblivion's keychain.

Linkin Park's Forgotten shall be the theme.

Disclaimer: If you don't get it by now...

Eclipse Realm

Chapter 5: Until the Sun Rises Up

There was no wind to divert it, so the rain came pouring down on him, as if the shrouded heavens were expelling all of their wastes onto him. He didn't feel the torrent, nor was he chilled; what could be colder than the ice in his heart right now?

It was ice that could rupture the greatest mountains, cut through the strongest steel... and it only succumbs to fire. It was only the very flames of hell that could melt him, but the true hell holds no purifying blaze. There is only the chill of loneliness, despair, and eternal torment. That was all he had now. What better weapon to hold in what remained of his heart, to use as he walked those rainy streets, as his weapon against the darkness that was beyond any realm of salvation or damnation?

It was so dark that he couldn't see the end of the cobblestone street he was walking down, but he knew his way, knew he just had to keep walking down this path to find whatever- or whomever- was beckoning him. There were a few blurry lights from the strange neon signs from the various buildings... and the television monitors. Though they were bizarre in their shape and placement, there was no denying at what - or rather who - was displayed on those screens.

Kairi... and occasionally Sora.

Yet another reason why he kept himself so cold, so numb. He couldn't allow his emotions to take over him at this moment. He had to act rationally... and he couldn't hesitate to kill that which was calling him. After he got some questions answered, of course.

The rain kept drenching him with questions: Why are you doing this? For whom are you fighting for? What happens if you lose? Will anything change? Would anyone care?

...Would anyone care?

Light... Kairi and Sora were here. His only true friends were smiling, calling to him. They wanted him to return to them, to forget the past and somehow live on in happiness...

No.

He cleared his mind, and chose not to wonder why he was letting foolish wishes cloud his mind. It had stopped raining, but when he opened his eyes, it was still dark. He could see that he must be nearing his destination; he was now traveling down a long road, and at the end of it was a building taller than the others, a skyscraper.

Neither the drenching torrent nor the occasional flashes of lightning and claps of thunder faltered his step. Nothing could stop him. Whatever he was going to do, he would never let anything get in his way again. Every decision must be precise, certain. There was no room for error... No time for mistakes. However strong his resolve, though, he was still...

Riku was still plagued with visions of what was and what he wished could be. If only he had been stronger. If only he had not endangered Kairi. If only he had not betrayed Sora. If only... he had chosen light.

There was no turning back. Now that he was part of the darkness... now that he was darkness, there was no chance that it would ever let him go. He was forever locked in it, just as this city was trapped in night, and there was no hope that light would ever shine for both of them.

It was a hopeless fate for both of them, but his eyes didn't burn with tears. This was not the time for crying. He had already done enough of that... in some time that must have been so long ago.

He came to a halt a few hundred feet from the base of the skyscraper he knew was his destination. His aquamarine were focused on the several screens on the building. The image was fuzzy, but...Kairi... why did she look so...?

Riku's attention was soon grabbed by something else. He calmly shifted his head slightly to the left, containing the deep animosity he had for what he knew was coming. Horridly familiar pools of darkness appeared on the wet ground, and from them rose hundreds of Neo Shadows. There may have been more, since he could not see how many were behind him. After all, this city was steeped in darkness; their numbers could be infinite. No matter. It made no difference. Though they were stronger than normal Shadows, they were still a lower, simpler form of Heartless, and their power was nothing to be wary of. Nothing compared to himself, or...

The being that Riku had sensed, but dared not look at, lest he lose focus on the situation at hand, smirked slightly from his location, perched near the crest of those monitors on the skyscraper. The sudden, alien expression seemed to startle the heavens themselves, and another bolt of lightning tore across the sky as the wind and rain whipped around him.

Riku's coat flared around in a strangely dramatic fashion as he crossed his arms around his waist, summoning Oathkeeper in his left hand, then Oblivion in his right as if he were drawing them from invisible sheaths. He spun both Keyblades in front of him as he brought them together overhead, the metallic clash of the polar forces of light and darkness causing bolts of multicolored energy to fly out briefly. He brought his weapons to his sides, standing in a crouched position. Riku was more than ready to demolish this whole city if he must to get the answers he wanted.

The figure on the building grinned at the determination of the Keyblade Master below him. Again lightning struck, but this time by the time the resulting clap was heard, the rain had stopped. The everlasting downpour just ceased. Even more shocking was what was revealed past those haunting clouds when the young man extended both arms out at his sides, turning his head up...

For those clouds parted, dissipated, and unveiled a meteor shower.

Riku knew what that meant. The streaks of pale pink were none other than gummi pieces... He never really cared for the strange objects, but he knew the significance of their appearance. The barrier between worlds was down again. He knew of the possibilities that had just opened up, and though he probably should have felt joy and maybe even a little hope...

He was just angry.

That sudden rage caused him to summon up the one power he never wanted to use again, but at that moment he didn't care. He remained calm and collected, despite the fury swirling around inside him, as the large fiery, purple emblem of the Heartless emblazoned itself on the ground around him. Even the Neo Shadows shrank away from this power, though it was so similar to the force from which they were born.

The twisted smile never faded from the mysterious youth's face as he gazed down at Riku. It was almost time to give the Keyblade Master a peek at what he had been sent here to see. He raised a black gloved hand to his face, throwing his head back as long fingers closed around the black piece of cloth that obscured his eyes, but not his vision.

Riku raised neither his eyes nor his voice when he asked, coolly but menacingly, as the mystic blaze danced eerily around him,

"Where's Sora?"

* * *

Somewhere in a realm that wasn't quite light, but not quite darkness, something slept.

No... someone slept.

Not dreaming; not moving; barely alive, yet not on the doorstep to that lower domain. They simply slept, waiting for something... Waiting for when they would be needed.

To once again combat that which was forever their enemy. To be part of the battle that forever would rage between the opposing forces of light and darkness.

To rise... as the champion of light...

In that place where everything was still, someone stirred. It was a minuscule movement, but momentous all the same.

The time of awakening was near...

So near...

* * *

There was no immediate answer. Not that he expected one, anyway. He could now feel the sheer number of Heartless that swarmed around him. There had to be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, and they were all after his heart alone.

Well, the more, the merrier.

The symbol around Riku flared for a moment, incinerating the Neo Shadows that stood too close. Not wasting a second, the Keyblade Master dashed forward, into the fray of Heartless. Most immediately sprang at him, but with little effort he passed the Oathkeeper and Oblivion through them, sending bits of dark matter flying everywhere before they dissolved into a dark mist. Soon he had destroyed the forty or so that had been near him, and he had a quick opportunity to look up rather than around him, in time to see a large group of Neo Shadows leap high into the air towards him.

Riku swiftly spun in a circle, whirling both Keyblades around him to clear a small round area around of Heartless. When his back was to the skyscraper, he bent his knees sharply, then sprang up in a powerful backflip, crossing the Oathkeeper and Oblivion over his chest as he vaulted into the air. He had always been abnormally great at leaping, and he easily reached the height the Neo Shadows had leaped to only seconds ago. At the peak of his flip, as he was upside down facing towards his would-be adversaries, Riku tapped into the magical energy he didn't even know he still had. He focused that magic into Oblivion, then when his body was still in mid-air, but vertical again, he flung the dark Keyblade towards that group of Heartless, performing his own variation of a technique that Sora had used on him; Strike Raid. Oblivion spun rapidly while engulfed in deep violet hues, and dark bolts of lightning erupted from the Keyblade and the air around it as it came into contact with its first victim. Rather than flying in a short distance before returning to its wielder, the Keyblade continued to spiral into the Neo Shadows, sending a rain of their dark remains below.

Oblivion increased in power and at one moment paused and erupted in a miniature but mighty thunderstorm, obliterating what Heartless remained in the air and some on the ground before returning to Riku's hand as he landed firmly on the street again. The whole attack took only about ten seconds.

The Neo Shadows, not realizing how powerless they were against the quiet but immense rage of Riku, mindlessly continued to charge at him. Riku continued to annihilate them, in a flurry of swings, stabs, dodges, and counters. However, these pathetic things were the least of his concerns, and he needed to stop wasting time - stop sickly enjoying this empty slaughter - and head towards his true target. Riku finished off another small group, then performed a twisting, acrobatic side flip, landing at the base of the tall building.

And still the Heartless pursued him, swarming like a seething, breathing ocean of obsidian, with the occasional yellow glow of their eyes, over the streets and the few parked cars that occupied them, over the buildings and the stone gargoyles that silently watched over the battle.

Riku stood tall, undaunted, as he looked out over the mass of Neo Shadows. He had known there was a lot of them, but he had only sensed that. Now that he looked out at and really witnessed the massive number of Heartless, he realized his earlier guess that there may be tens of thousands was probably true. But despite the fact that he was severely outnumbered, they suddenly chose not to attack him, and simply stared, twitching in earnest, but stayed still as if... waiting for a command...

The pale-haired warrior turned to the building behind him, where he could strongly feel someone expecting him. Riku wasn't going to waste any time waiting for that person - if it was a person - to make their presence known. With a frown that couldn't be seen behind his pallid bangs and the shadow of his hood, he jumped up towards the building, landing on the very face of it, and began to run up, easily defying the laws of gravity without a second thought that he was doing so. As if on cue, the Heartless began to follow behind him.

The figure Riku was headed towards walked to the edge of the building calmly, and the first thing the Keyblade Master noticed was the oddly familiar silver hair that stood out clearly against the dark but color-streaked sky. His grip tightened on the Keyblades that he held out behind him. He knew he was eager for a real fight, and some answers.

Riku had assumed that the young man - as he apparently was - would wait for him to arrive at the top of the building. Still, he remained collected when the youth spread his arms and leaned dangerously forward, to fall off the building in daring dive. A group of Neo Shadows that had apparently been waiting up there with him dove in pursuit, partly obscuring the large screen that still showed images of Kairi.

This guy was a fool, leaving himself so open. Seeing the opportunity, Riku decided to attack with another Strike Raid, and once again flung Oblivion towards his target. The Keyblade passed through the many Heartless that had swarmed in front of him, but when it reached the youth...

There was a brief flash of sparks, as one would see when two metals clashed. Oblivion had been knocked aside, and when it returned to its wielder he was stunned...

...for his Keyblade had been deflected by another Keyblade.

The mysterious young man continued to fall.

The bewildered young man continued to ascend.

They exchanged a brief glance when they passed each other. In that instant when time seemed to stand still, Riku was able to observe the lion's head emblem on the keychain of the Keyblade...

...the ominous smirk...

...and the yellow eyes that pierced through him.

Riku was almost not aware of the fact that the Heartless had suddenly vanished until he reached the roof of the skyscraper. He turned immediately to look down, only to find no trace of the spawns of darkness or of that Keyblade-wielding... what?

The bewildered Keyblade Master walked towards the center the roof slowly and for no reason, stopping when he stood upon the green glass of a skylight. Oblivion vanished from his right hand, which he reached up to finally push back his hood and run through his almost colorless hair. His expression was unreadable as his gaze shifted from his feet, to the Oathkeeper, to the sky above where gummi pieces continued to violate the dreary sky with streams of various bright hue.

There was no way that person could have been human. His smile was foreboding of some sort of promise that would bring ruin to everything...

...his eyes had the cold, calculating, sadistic glint of a maniac...

...and he had looked just like Riku.


	7. Chapter 6: Staring Down the Barrel

It was a long time coming, but the adventure and mystery begin in this chapter. Even more questions will be raised, and we'll meet some friends. Some you know, and some you don't, but will hopefully come to love. 

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and blah blah blah aren't mine, but Chuya and quite are few other things are... The chapter's theme, .45, is by Shinedown.

Eclipse Realm

Chapter 6: Staring Down the Barrel

In an attempt to drive the confusing thoughts of the dark Keyblade Master from her mind, Chuya focused herself on the sound of the rain. She stayed still on the bed she was sitting on, kept her hands folded from where they lay on her lap, her dull eyes trained on the floor, and her ears to the melodic sounds of nature. Soon the soft pattering of water droplets against the roof and outside world almost lulled her sleep, or rather a calm state of mind since she chose to be awake when Riku returned... if he did. But she was soon wide awake and aware when the sound ceased abruptly.

Her curiousity got the better of her, so she immediately rose and made her way to the window. Chuya wasn't aware of it, but there was a slight frown in her brow as she took in the sight beyond the glass pane. It was still dark out there, but it had definitely stopped raining, and up there among the thin wisps of remaining clouds were amazing ribbons of color streaking through the sky. She unconsciously raised both her hands and touched the tips of her fingers against the cool glass as she kept her gaze to the spectacle. Did these sort of things happen all the time when water fell from above?

The lights flickered, briefly casting the room into dimness. This happened in barely a second, and as soon as the room was fully lit again, Chuya could sense someone else was with her.

The faintest shadow of surprise passed over her features for a moment, but her face was impassive as she lowered her hands to the sill and turned partially to the familiar presence somewhere behind her.

Standing before the door a tall, grim looking man. His eyes were obscured by dark sunglasses, as was his mouth due to his mainly black and red attire. From his looks, one would think twice before daring to approach or speak to this man, who seemed to radiate dark, intense power, but Chuya was familiar with this person and had no need to be wary - not that she would feel that way anyway if she did not know him.

"Sir Auron..."

"As simple minded as always," Auron sighed, making his way towards the young mage. "You would be wise to keep alert in places such as these, and keep the door locked."

"But you do not pose a threat to me," Chuya calmly stated as Auron came to a stop beside her.

"True," he answered quietly, his gaze directed at the phenomenon occuring outside, "but even with your powers, which are unstable, people around here would take advantage of your... condition." For a few silent moments they both looked on as the stripes of brilliance danced across the dark veil ever present over the city. Auron looked at Chuya out of the corner of his eyes, and he noticed that the only sign she displayed that showed she was fascinated by the supernatural shower was the faint glimmer in her otherwise ashen gaze.

Which was strange, because curiousity was one of very few emotions she usually showed clearly. Right now, it seemed she was keeping her face as passive as she could.

The Legendary Guardian chose to remember this little detail, then began to speak of the matter at hand.

"Those bright colors you see in the sky are gummi pieces."

"Gummi pieces?" Only Chuya's voice showed her interest as she turned her gaze towards Auron.

"Yes. This signifies that the barrier between worlds is down again. Conveniently, these gummi pieces are used to create ships that can navigate between worlds."

There was a brief pause as the man waited to see if Chuya would ask a certain question, which she did.

"Does this have anything to do with Riku?"

Auron grinned, though it couldn't be seen due to his high collar. "Shouldn't you be asking whether or not this has something to do with you?" he countered purposely, but in a light tone. He watched Chuya's expression from her faint reflection in the window, amused when she opened her mouth to answer him, but could not find words with which to do so. His shoulders quavered a little in a silent chuckle, and he shook his head lightly.

"Do not worry. This has to do with the both of you, in some ways. Riku desires to find two people close to him as well as the king, and in order to do so he must travel to different worlds. You, too, will have to leave this world to fulfill your purpose."

"So we should leave now." Relunctantly, it seemed, Chuya turned away from the window towards the door. "After all, the only reason I came here was to meet with you. Riku's quest has nothing to do with me anymore."

"You are disillusioning yourself," Auron said as he also turned away from the window and walked towards the round table near the middle of the room. "You know that in due time what you have will become vital to Riku."

"But as of now, I am... I mean, it is useless to him." Chuya was going to leave it at that, but another thought came to mind, and her head tilted as she inquired, "Is that what everyone means when they say our fates only happened to cross paths? If so, then that isn't quite true. I... know what lies in store for me," Chuya's voice grew a little softer as her eyes turned to the floor, "but I wouldn't exactly call it my 'fate'."

"You have been giving this much thought," the fallen monk stated, not facing Chuya. "Has Riku had much of an influence on you?"

"...I don't know... What are you doing?" Chuya noticed that Auron had been laying several objects on the table.

"A few items you'll be needing on your journey. Different currencies for the lands you may visit are in these small bags; gil, munny, and gold. Potions and ethers to sustain your strength and magic." Auron pulled out a black strip of cloth from within the folds of his robe and stared at it for a moment as it lay in his gloved hand. His voice was a bit quieter when he began speaking again. "This... is for Riku. I'm sure he will be needing this again." Auron also laid this down on the table, then withdrew another item and tossed it to Chuya. "This I'm sure you'll find useful."

Chuya caught the object easily. Opening her hands, she found it to be a smooth, round stone that was a cloudy but glossy green with hints of gold in its depths.

Again, only her voice showed her curiousity as she raised her eyes to Auron. "What is this?"

"A Summon Gem, the Jade Flash. You will gain the ability to call upon a powerful entity when you release the spirit inside of it. Show it to a magician named Merlin when you arrive in Traverse Town."

"... I don't understand. Aren't we supposed to be leaving together? You make it sound as though we will not."

"We won't. You stay with Riku for a while." Before she could ask why, he added on, "I have some things to take care of, and staying with him will not jeopardize your mission. By chance, it seems again you two will be heading to the same destination. You need to speak with Merlin, and Riku has some people waiting for him. There is only one way the both of you can get to Traverse Town, however, so doing this will make your progress much simpler. I suggest you leave as soon as Riku returns; I advise against staying here any longer than you need to."

"Will I need to tell Riku of all this?" Chuya asked, listening to Auron without a second thought.

"No. He will learn all he needs to know in that letter."

Chuya had almost forgotten about that important item, and she turned her head to glance at that parchment that had laid forgotten on the windowsill. She still had some questions, but when she turned to look at Auron again, he had vanished.

She was puzzled by this turn of events, but then again she had told Riku that she wasn't sure what exactly to expect. She stared at the spot where Auron was for a minute, not at all disturbed by his abrupt disappearance, before moving towards the bed where her cloak had been placed. Better to be prepared when Riku returned, since according to Auron he would be.

* * *

It had gotten awfully quiet.

Maybe too quiet, but for now he didn't mind the silence. It let him focus on his ever turbulent and jumbled thoughts, as he tried to distinguish one from another. He needed to concentrate, to decide just what exactly his next move would be, but...

Riku didn't move, even as the wind threatened to topple him from his perch on the edge of the skyscraper. The gale whipped through his pale hair, his dark cloak, and still he did not yield. His face was stern and intense; it might was well have been a breeze against a mountain.

He knew he needed to go... to do something, but still he wouldn't budge. What point would there be in going? Everything was already out of control, wasn't it?

That... that guy... How could he have looked just like him, and yet not? In that brief instant, he could see that had the same features, but those eyes... Riku knew he had done some crazy things, and he could admit that he had gone a bit... mad, with jealousy. But he would never have intentionally put Sora or Kairi in danger. Most of it was Ansem's fault... or was it his, because he was too weak to stop him? If only he had...

Wait...no.

Finally, there was some movement. He shook his head slightly, to scatter these thoughts to the wind that beat against him. He couldn't let his doubt stop him now. This wasn't the time to wallow in self-pity. The were other things to do, and he was sure he had little time. Since when did his feelings get in the way of what he wanted? It just wasn't in his nature to let such trivial things stop him from getting what he wanted.

And right now, he just wanted his life back.

In a fluid movement, Riku stood, still not faltering against the gale. Now that he was calm, he knew exactly what to do... well, not really. He knew he needed to stay firm, even though he wasn't sure what direction to take...if only there was someone who had left him a clue...

Right. King Mickey.

How could he have forgotten that the solution to his problems may be lying on that sheet of paper? Well, the most recent event did make him disregard many things for a moment. And the letter was with...

Oh, yeah. Chuya. Yet another thing he had forgotten about. How many times had he already completely put that girl from his mind? He couldn't forget that there was...something important about her.

I'll worry about her later. She's not my responsibility anymore. For a moment, he felt bitter at the fact that he would be returning to an empty hotel room. As apathetic as she was, having Chuya around was better than having no one.

Face it, Riku. Whatever you're going to do, you're going to do it alone. No one's gonna be there for support of any kind. Plus, she'd just end up getting in the way. You're stronger on your own, right?

Not wanting to answer that question (he figured he must really be losing it if he was talking to himself), Riku pushed it away and focused on the task at hand. First things first, he needed to get that letter back, and--

His head whipped around to both sides. Did he just sense something...? The surrounding roof revealed nothing to his pale eyes, but he could have sworn there was something. It was like he had been pricked with a needle and was just now feeling the effects of some drug.

"Great, now I'm getting paranoid," he sighed to himself, then turned resolute. His gaze scanned the ground that lay several feet beneath him. Hm, I wonder if I can make that jump? Not wanting to take a fleeting risk, he hopped down first to the several warped television screens before leaping to the cobblestone ground with a few mid-air somersaults. He landed lightly but with a thud in a crouch, one hand on the ground for support. When he straightened up, he looked back briefly at the screens.

Looking behind him proved to be useless. No more images of Sora or Kairi. Just silent static.

Riku didn't look back again. He turned to the dark road in front of him and took off running.

* * *

Only a few minutes had passed when Riku realized he didn't know where the hell he was going. When he had left Chuya, he had only been able to reach his destination because he was being drawn towards it. Plus, he had been in a blind rage. Now that he was calm, he realized just how far into the city he had gone.

Well, no need to lament over the fact that I'm completely lost. There's a simple solution to that.

Darting into an alley, Riku jumped against the side of a building, kicking off of it and bouncing to the wall opposite. He repeated this until he reached the low roof and jumped onto it. He would have smirked to himself at this new ability, but he was feeling too tense... he knew something was watching him...

Could it be that...? Riku shook his head, banishing these thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time... If he got too wound up in worrying about that guy - no, thing, there was no way he could have been human - he could be caught in a moment of weakness by the enemy... Who or whatever was the enemy was. Focus, concentrate on what you have to do, not your paranoia.

He stood up straight from his crouched position, and got his first real look at the city. Everything was still dark despite the absence of the storm clouds, and the starlight was outdone by the neon lights without the moon to aid them. The artificial, multi-colored lights cast strange shapes in the small puddles left from the storm.

Choosing not to be distracted by the eerie sight, Riku sought out the dim, pale yellow light of the tavern he and Chuya had found. He was having a hard problem finding it, but--

It happened so suddenly... so abruptly that he was almost knocked over by the sheer force of it, but was compelled to act immediately.

Something seemed to rush through - or was it around? - him, and in the space of hardly two seconds he was aware of these voices...

Voices?

Could he really call them that? They were more like moans, roars, growls... Clearly far from human speech... But he could understand them. There was something they wanted, something very close, and they were hell-bent on getting it.

Without hesitation, Riku took off, and soon he was bounding across the rooftops with a speed he didn't know he even possessed. The sheer velocity he created whipped his hair back and caused a shrill whistle to ring through his ears. Maybe he should have been thinking of why he was racing at a breakneck pace towards some unknown destination, but that was futile and unnecessary.

It had only taken him that brief moment to conclude that whatever it was this unnamed force wanted with obsessive fervor... They just couldn't have it.

He only stopped just when he felt he had outrun the force, and, somehow, found himself back at the inn.

The hell...?

He glanced behind him, expecting to find whatever the hell he was outrunning nipping at his heels, but saw nothing. Yet, he could faintly sense something lurking out there, waiting for... what?

I've got no time to waste. Riku reminded himself of the more important things at hand, rather than choosing to have a stand-off with an enemy that wouldn't show its face. Waiting inside the inn was the push he needed to leave this forsaken city. What need did he have to stay any longer? There was nothing of value in this city; it seemed to hold no valuable properties, and there was no source of magic he could detect. Plus, that force wasn't after him... and Chuya was long gone by now--

His gaze had turned back to the shabby hotel, looking for a way back to their - his - room, when he noticed a familiar silhouette pass across a lit window. His eyes widened a bit in shock, then narrowed slightly.

Why? Why the hell is she still here?

Deciding he was thinking too much, Riku made the few bounds that would lead him to the room and landed lightly on the shingles outside of the window. Yes, the feminine figure in the room was Chuya, once again donned in her violet cloak. He watched her walk across the room... Was she pacing? Her attention was focused on something in her hands, which he recognized as King Mickey's letter before she turned her back to him.

She looks like she's ready to go somewhere... Was she waiting on me?

He raised his fist and gently tapped on the glass, not wanting to startle the girl and be met with a searing Firaga spell. Chuya whirled around quickly, but her eyes weren't widened in her usual expression. She didn't look surprised in the least...

Chuya calmly strolled to the window and undid the lock to let Riku in. He was expecting her to question why he was coming in through the window rather than the door, but she said nothing, and they ended up having another staring contest when he finally stood on the floor.

Riku was the one to break the silence that had fallen over them. "... Why are you still here?"

"I was waiting for you," came the immediate, quiet response.

Riku's pale eyes scanned around the room, sensing the faint, remaining essence of someone else's presence. "... Who was here?" He asked somewhat darkly, noticing the few remaining items on the small table.

"My Guardian," Chuya answered, then added, "He was the one I was supposed to be leaving with. However, he told me that I am to stay with you, for we have the same destination yet again. We are to be going to Traverse Town, and the way to get there is explained in here."

She held out the letter to him, and Riku reached out his hand to take it. He hesitated, not sure if he was bothered or relieved that Chuya would be with him for a while longer, and thus stopped himself from rudely snatching the parchment from her. He accepted the letter, tore open the envelope, and took a deep, silent breath before reading the unfolded message:

Riku,

If you are reading this, then you have no doubt awakened. I have no way of knowing how much you remember, and I do not think I can be of much assistance. We both escaped Kingdom Hearts, but I do not think you would want to be reminded of what happened afterwards. Currently, everything is peaceful, but I believe it will not last. Something big is about to happen, and I am sure you will be in the middle of it. Whatever it is you decide to do, do not hesitate. Only you can decide your fate, Riku, no matter what others or yourself may think. This is a battle you must win, whether or not you are alone.

I'm afraid I cannot be of much assistance myself, but there will be allies waiting for you. Your first stop should be Traverse Town. You can get there via gummi ship; the Valentine Legacy has been left for you under the tallest building of the city you should be in. There should be some workers who will assist you there.

As I'm sure you would like to know, Kairi is safe at home at the Destiny Islands. As for Sora...

I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is. No one does. But, I warn you; don't be in such a rush to find him. Please. You two will find each other again - for it is destined - but you cannot force it. When the time comes, you shall meet him. For now, I suggest you focus on the mission you proposed yourself. You should remember that.

Riku, I hope that you are well, despite this turn on events. On this journey, finding Sora and Kairi aren't your only objectives... I think you know what I'm referring to. I hope you find it. Not for the sake of the worlds, but for yourself.

Good luck, my friend.

The letter was signed not with the symbol of the Disney Kingdom - two small black circles arranged on top of a larger one - but with King Mickey's personal signature. He had called him his friend.

His friend...

Faintly, he heard a voice address him. "Riku?"

The paper in his hands was beginning to tremble. He realized it was his hands that were shaking.

"Riku?"

The letter fell from his hands, fluttered to the floor. His hands became trembling fists.

Kairi's safe? How can he be sure of that? And Sora...he's...

"Ri-"

"Godammit!" The roar tore from his throat suddenly, and in a short burst of anger he turned and slammed a fist int the nearby table. The fragile wood splintered from the force, and the bottles he had ignored crashed onto the floor, shattering and rendering their contents useless from where they lay spilled.

Just when he thought he would never have to worry about them again. Sora... He had promised Riku he would take care of Kairi, and now he was gone. Why? He had promised to take care of her, so why wasn't he with her? Why couldn't he just listen for once?

Kairi... He knew she wouldn't live without Sora, who was gone... Gone! If they both weren't safe, what good would it be to redeem himself? Was his return all for nothing? Or was he here only to learn that there was no point in moving on?

He was trying, dammit! He was going to make things better! So why? Why did he need to suffer like this more when he was going to do things right?

Why couldn't he just a straight answer, the answer he wanted?

His arm remained rigid. He wasn't aware of the faint aura he was emitting - an aura that was visible only to the girl in the room. He had forgotten about her until she spoke in the silence that had fallen.

"...Shall we go now?"

He nearly started at her voice. His eyes snapped to her without moving his head...

...but began to soften considerably when he saw her stoop to retrieve the letter from the floor, speaking as she did so.

"We must go. I know nothing of what information you received from the letter, but we mustn't delay." She betrayed no sign of being curious about the letter, for when she stood up straight again she simply folded the parchment and stored it away somewhere in her cloak.

"Nothing will be accomplished if we stay here. I would think that you would like to hurry. You have many things to attend to, as do I," she added quietly, more to herself than him.

The aura had dimmed as the young woman spoke until it vanished completely. Now, calm and thinking clearly, Riku also stood up straight and let his arms relax at his sides. Turquoise met gray silently. There was only a placid sea of indifference, as though she didn't care either way if she had to wait should he have another fit of anger, or if they left now. Yet, had she not suggested that they leave now only moments ago?

Chuya...

The calm was ended abruptly. The lights suddenly went out.

Chuya glanced up with the faintest shadow of surprise, but Riku felt a prick of warning and whirled around, summoning Oblivion and moving in front of Chuya. As he did that, something smashed through the roof onto the spot where Riku had just been standing, sending dust and slivers of wood flying.

It stood out even against the encompassing gloom; pitch black against the dark, varying shades of the blue shadows in the room. From a crouched position, it began to stand menacingly, reminding Riku of a beastly predator with that low growl it emitted - and from the way it began to pace, stalking them.

Shit, not these again.

He could feel Chuya beginning to gather a spell behind him."No, don't use magic," he said gruffly to her.

She dropped the spell immediately - was she used to following commands or something? - but still questioned him. "Why?"

"You need to save it. There might-"

There was a flash from the pacing beast; its lifeless eyes, which couldn't be seen in the shadows, glinted yellow.

"Get back!" Riku barked, and Chuya jumped aside as the creature lunged at him. He brought up Oblivion, his free hand braced against the flat side of the blade as the beast clamped its large jaws around the weapon; the huge clawed paws had landed on Riku's chest, knocking him all the way back against the door.

Remembering the last encounter he had with these things, Riku knew he could not waste time fighting it; it was likely that there were several others lurking nearby. He struggled with the beast a moment longer, then managed to shove it backwards. Before it could recover, he swung Oblivion in a powerful horizontal strike, severing both of the forelegs of the beast from its body. The creature screamed in pain, flopping to the floor, dark fluid pouring from its wounds.

The Keyblade Wielder glanced over at Chuya... She was staring at the writhing beast, her hands folded in front of her mouth, her eyes partially shadowed... What the hell was she doing just standing there? She didn't look scared, but...but...

There was no time to think about that. He could already sense a great horde of those beasts headed towards them. The adrenaline pumping through his veins made him itch for some kind of action, but as much as he wanted a good fight, Riku knew that a battle would be too inconvenient at the time.

"Come on!" he shouted, snapping Chuya out of whatever daze she was in. Without waiting for a response from her, he grabbed one of her wrists with his free hand, forced the flimsy door open with his shoulder and pulled her out of the room. With Chuya behind him, he ran down the short hall, but stopped short when he reached the top of the staircase, causing the girl to almost run into his back. His eyes widened at the scene.

The screams should have warned him, but Riku had not registered the noise until he saw the mayhem with his own eyes. The people that had occupied the bar were already being massacred by a group of the 'hell hounds', as Riku now thought of them. From the looks of it, they had barged in through the entrance, as there was a large hole in the wall near the door... All those people, being torn apart... so much blood...

"Cavus Lupus..." Chuya suddenly mumured quietly.

"What?" Riku began to glance back at her, but as soon as those words had escaped her lips one of the beasts - a Cavas Lupus, apparently - snapped its head towards the stairs, and for the first time since he encountered these creatures, Riku saw deep blue markings glow faintly on its body. Seeing this out of the corner of his eyes, Riku gave his attention to the beast but said to Chuya, "Go back to the room, now!"

She turned immediately and did as he told her. Riku had readied Oblivion as the Cavus Lupus charged up the stairs. Chuya had just entered the room - barely avoiding having her ankles bitten by the crippled beast from earlier - and turned in time to see Riku fly backwards across the door as the other Cavus Lupus collided with him, knocking him to the ground. A moment later, the same beast was thrown back across the door with a dark fluid streaming through the air from a gash in its chest, and Riku scrambled back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Load of good that's gonna do," he muttered to himself, shaking his head, then side-stepped away from the snapping jaws of the wounded Cavus Lupus. He drove the point of Oblivion through the creature's head, pinning it to the floor as the rest of its body twitched and convulsed. With a final whine, it stopped moving, and Riku removed his weapon, his face hard but otherwise emotionless.

"... What now?" Chuya asked.

Riku calmed his nerves a bit, taking deep breaths, glad that the door served to at least muffles the sounds of the chaos below, since he knew they wouldn't last long against any Cavus Lupus. Though how Chuya managed to stay so calm kind of bewildered him.

"We're getting out," he stated, strolling and nodding towards the window. But before he could tell her his intentions, he noticed that the floor beneath them began to grow a bit lighter. There was light coming from beneath the door...

"Get down!" He grabbed at Chuya and pulled her down with him as he threw himself to the littered floor, just as the door exploded and a sphere of dark energy whizzed through the room, exiting through the window with a large explosion and sending shards of glass and wood to the street below.

Well, there's our way out, Riku thought sarcastically as he tugged Chuya (Dammit, why was she so slow to react with the danger they were obviously in?) with him to his feet quickly, ignoring the minor cuts both had sustained from laying on the floor. Without glancing back to see what happened to the Cavus Lupus that must have fired that attack, he climbed out onto the shingles outside, careful of the broken glass, and looked below. There was definitely a horde of Cavus Lupus out there, and those that weren't chasing down what victims they had found were pacing about restlessly.

His eyes went to the building opposite of them. It was about a story higher than the one they were standing on, but it was the only way they could avoid the streets below. He just hoped he could make it while carrying her...

Riku glanced behind him at Chuya, who was looking back into the trashed room. He was mildly curious as to what had gotten her attention, but there was no time to delay.

"Chuya."

"Yes?" She turned to him and stepped to his side, looking ready to do whatever it was he should ask.

Wordlessly, Riku turned his gaze back to the building he had been eyeing, but suddenly wrapped one arm around Chuya's waist and pulled her to his side. She gasped when his other arm went around her, but was otherwise silent when Riku jumped off the roof with her.

With his new-found abilities, it would have been an easy jump, but when Riku looked below - seeing that they had gained the attention of most of the Cavus Lupus - he knew they wouldn't make it unscathed. The wolfish creatures had readied their attacks, and balls of bluish-black flame were headed towards them...

Then, out of nowhere, thin branches - like those found on a tree - came towards them as quickly as the attacks of the Cavus Lupus, surrounding and wrapping around him and Chuya. They were shielded from the attacks and set down carefully on the ledge that had been their destination.

Okay, what the hell was that? Riku tried to turn and see what had caused this strange phenomenom, but the limbs moved - as if they were alive - and blocked his view. Then they moved against him, gently - urging him to go.

Hesitantly, the teen turned, and after spotting the skyscraper where they would find their means of transportation, began to quickly make his way towards it. In a few seconds, Chuya was at his side, using some of levitation spell to keep up with his speed. Since it seemed that they would be prevented from getting into any battles soon, he didn't mind that she had used magic.

Magic...

"Hey," Riku said loudly enough so she could hear against the wind whipping against them, "you seem to be pretty calm about what just happened. Do you have any idea about what that was all about?"

"...It was magic," Chuya responded, her voice showing no hint of being surprised. "It was not of my doing. I have never seen that spell before."

Riku glanced at Chuya from the corner of his eyes as he ran across the rooftops, then stopped as he reached the edge of another building. He turned around partially and looked back towards the now demolished inn. Signs of a battle were still evident; branches rising from the ground briefly with several Cavus Lupus skewered on them and leaves whizzing like razors through the air; the now noticed additions of scattered explosions and pillars of fire; and small, temporary blizzards and large spikes of ice...

Who was responsible for all of this? And why, it seemed, were they helping them?

Chuya was hovering next to him. "Riku?" she ventured, then added, "Do you wish to go back?"

He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head as he replied, "No. Let's be on our way." Turning back around, he hopped off the ledge to the next building, Chuya following.

* * *

After a few minutes, the Keyblade Master found himself once again walking the still dim path he had thought would lead him to all his answers. The gummi shower had stopped some time ago, leaving the city in all its melancholy splendor again. Puddles still remained from the rain, and he splashed through them carelessly. The screens still had not continued their show of painful memories, showing only silent screens of static.

Riku's mind was wandering - his thoughts full of doubt - so he wasn't in a hurry to get to the skyscraper. It was quiet, but not so much that it forebode of imminent danger. The only sounds he was aware of were the faint hum of nearby lights, the thud of his footsteps and the lighter steps of Chuya, who was slightly behind him to his right.

It was when her footsteps stopped abruptly that he was brought out of his musings, lifting his eyes to scan for whatever had gained her attention. It came in the form of an orange... thing near the base of the building. Riku stopped as well, to get a better look. It was a fiery colored beast of some sort, and he was on alert at first, but relaxed when the creature made no threatening move. When it noticed them, it bounded towards them on all fours, but stopped after a few feet. It stood on its hind legs and made some sort of gesture with its large forepaws, then began to head back towards the building.

Obviously wanting them to follow, Riku relaxed and did just that, Chuya not far behind. The feline creature had stopped in the alley adjoining the skyscraper when it was in their sight again. After making sure Riku and Chuya were following, it touched a large paw to the brick wall, which glowed a light green on contact and revealed an entryway large enough for the teens to pass through. The beast immediately entered, but Riku paused before doing so. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the luminous stairs that led down into somewhere, wondering what sort of magic was at work here.

This magic was familiar... It didn't feel like it had anything to do with any sort if magic he knew of, be it dark, light, white, or black, yet it was... familiar to him.

Knowing that Chuya was most likely wondering why he had stopped, Riku sighed and just went down the damn staircase. He had done enough hesitating for one day - or night, whatever the hell time it was. A few silent minutes passed; Riku was only aware of the faint light of the stairs and the occasional flash of orange that was the tail of the small beast. He didn't realize how agitated he was as he made his way down into who-knows-where until a pale wave of green light washed over him. Instantly, he whirled on Chuya - who had been behind him - and glared up at her.

"What did you just do?"

"A... simple Cure spell," Chuya said calmly enough, though there was a very brief flash of... something in her eyes. Had she been startled? Surprised at Riku's outburst when she had just... He looked down at himself, turning partially away from the girl. He could feel that some of the tension he had held had lifted, and a small cut that had been on his cheek had healed. He glimpsed at Chuya briefly out of the corner of his eyes; there had been a few cuts on her hands that were now healed, too. He then remembered that they were the result of him throwing them on the littered floor earlier to avoid an attack from a Cavus Lupus.

Chuya was simply trying to assist him... Was he giving off angry vibes bad enough that even she had sensed them? In any case, he had no reason to snap at her like that. He felt embarassed, and maybe even a little regretful, but he didn't apologize. He just let his arms drop to his sides and continued his way down.

It didn't take them long to find the foot of the stairs, and what they led to. Riku and Chuya found themselves in a large chamber with several of the orange beasts running around. They all seemed to be doing the various tasks that come with maintaining the great ship in their care.

While Chuya was distracted by the many creatures in the room, Riku's eyes had been drawn to what King Mickey had said had been left for him; a gummi ship of fairly large proportions. He recognized it to be a Deathguise model, one of the most powerful Heartless gummi ships.While he knew next to nothing about gummi blocks, Riku could tell that this ship was made from some of the highest quality; the many cannons and large size of the engine and wings were a dead giveaway. The ship had been painted in mostly a lovely deep red and black with a few outlines in gold. On the side visible to him, in intricately done cursive letters that ended with the last letter curling off into a black rose that rested under the words was the name this beauty had been christened with: Valentine Legacy.

Riku was in such awe that he hadn't realized he had walked up to the magnificent gummi ship and placed his hand on it. He was normally never so fond of the ships - having traveled between worlds by different means - but there was something about the care and design of the ship that brought a strange sense of nostalgia...

Like whoever owned this ship was very close to him, and simply touching it gave him a feeling of... home...

"Lesh get a movshe on, everyshone, he'll be shere shoon..."

The slow, creaky voice snapped Riku out of his thoughts, and he snatched his hand from the ship as he turned to the source of it. From the front of the ship came an odd blue creature that wasn't like anything Riku had seen before; from the lack of fur and strange shape of its head, feet and hands, it looked like an alien by all means. But the Keyblade Master had to think differently when he noticed the casual clothes it wore - dark green overalls - and the clipboard in its hands.

The creature looked up and noticed Riku, then gave a startled yelp and threw up its hands in alarm.

"Yah! Mashta She--! Oh, no, waitsh... You camesh for zhe ship, yesh?"

"... Um, yeah," Riku answered, after he deciphered what the thing said. By this time, Chuya had returned to stand close behind him - she must have figured he preferred keeping her there when faced with something he or neither of them were familiar with.

"Zhen you musht be...?"

"Riku... and who, or what, are you?"

"Riku, yesh, yesh, I was eckshpecting yoo..." the being mumbled to himself - though his voice was odd, Riku figured he was a male - as he stooped to pick up the scattered papers and the clipboard he had dropped. He stood up straight and continued, "I am a Hypello; jush call me Caretaker. I am reshponshibable for zhe ship."

"And those?" Riku indicated to the fiery creatures to their sides, which had stopped working and were sitting with curious expressions.

"Zhose are Moombash, zhey help wizhe repairzhe..." Caretaker slowly turned his head as he talked to look at the Moombas, then suddenly waved his arms above his head angrily. "Getsh back to work, yoo shlackers!" The Moombas growled playfully, then returned to their tasks. The Hypello turned back to Riku.

"Ash yoo know, the Valentinesh Legashy hash been left for yoo. Would yoo likesh to resht before leaving or go now?"

"I'd like to go now, thanks--"

"Ah, and who are you, mish?"

Caretaker had seemingly ignored Riku and had approached Chuya. Riku glared, but Chuya wasn't bothered at all.

"Chuya."

"Yesh, well, very nish to meet yoo, Mish Chuya." The Hypello bowed respectfully. Riku cleared his throat.

"Can we get a move on already?"

"Yesh, yesh, of coursh." Caretaker walked past Riku and Chuya and touched the side of the Valentine Legacy, which caused a small panel to open up. He pressed a button that caused the starboard of the ship to release the steps that led to the interior.

"Everyzhing'sh readysh to go when you're readysh." Riku nodded, and Caretaker gestured to a nearby Moomba. "Show zhem inshide and preparesh for launsh."

The Moomba tugged on Chuya's cloak, then dashed up the steps. The girl knew its intentions, but looked to Riku first.

He wondered briefly why she needed his approval, but said anyway, "Go ahead."

Riku started up the steps after Chuya, but paused half-way up instead of following her inside. He turned around.

"Hey, Caretaker."

"Yesh?" The Hypello had begun to make his way over to what looked to the launch pad controls, but faced Riku when he spoke to him.

The teen averted his eyes for a second, then looked at the Hypello again. "... Why would a ship this grand be left for me?"

"Hmm..." Caretaker placed his hand on his chin while he thought for a moment, then returned his gaze to Riku. "Well, lesh shay zhe owner knewzh yoo could be trushted with her."

"And who is the owner?"

'I can'tsh ansher zhat." The Hypello held up his hands helplessly. "She toldsh me notsh to. Don't ashk me why, she'sh a very oddzh woman."

"You don't say..." Riku looked over the ship again. He had a guess as to who the woman who owned the ship was, but soon discarded that idea.

It couldn't be the woman he guessed. The style of the ship's design just didn't seem like something she would do.

This only served to make the mystery of the real owner even deeper.

"She izh a beauty, izhn't she?"

"I guess..." Riku said distantly, distracted by his own thoughts.

"Yoo don'tsh like her?"

"No, the ship's fine--" He was interrupted by the Hypello's chuckle.

"Not zhe ship. Mish Chuya."

Riku glanced at the Hypello, then followed his gaze to the cockpit of the Valentine Legacy, where the young mage could be seen through the transparent glass. She was looking around while the Moomba was checking the control pad.

"You're a very lucky man."

"You misunderstand. We're not a couple. We're here by coincidence." Riku left it at that and entered the ship.

* * *

The battle had grown quiet long ago. All that remained was the faint crackling of the few smoldering fires that remained, moments from dying out. The cries of the victims - both human and non-human - had already ceased.

Atop a building, eyes shaded by sunglasses watched as a point of light - only slightly bigger than the few stars that could be seen - sped up into the pitch sky, then disappeared with a flash.

"Well, there they go," said a teen-aged, male voice.

"Yeah," the wearer of the sunglasses - a female the same age as the other - sighed.

"So... tell me again why we couldn't go with 'em?"

Two voices groaned in unison; the young woman and a different male.

"For the last time," said the irritated voice of the male slightly older than the others with a sophisticated air, "we couldn't just show up and expect everything to go - what's the phrase you use? - smooth as butter. Telling him who we are and what he is to us would most likely upset him."

"Uh huh..." The younger male crossed his arms behind his head, looking up into the dim sky. There was a brief pause of silence, then, "Who'dya suppose was the chick that was with him?"

"Oh, don't you ever shut up?" snapped the older male.

"That's a good question," said the female of the small group, apparently the most mellow of them. "You don't suppose she was--"

"A Princess of Heart?" the aristocratic male finished. "No. She didn't... feel like the others."

"Yeah, plus she wasn't stuck up and noble like the other Princesses and pretty-boy here."

"Par-don?" the 'pretty-boy' snarled.

"Down, boys," the young woman said tiredly. "We'll find out when we find out. For now, she doesn't seem like she'll be anything we'll need to worry about."

"Yeah. Pretty and naive... heh, just the way I like 'em! Gah ha ha ha ha - ack!"

The rambunctious male's cackling was abruptly cut off when the older male promptly dealt him a blow to the back of the head.

"Bastard!" the younger teen spat, and thus began yet another bickering match between the two that would most likely end up with each unleashing powerful spells upon the other using their weapons.

The girl rubbed gloved fingers on the bridge of her nose under her glasses, feeling the onset of another headache. She began to dig potions out of her black leather coat for the two boys, but her gaze was fixated to the spot where the gummi ship had left this world.

So once again the city was left in the tranquility that follows slaughter. No one suffering. No one mourning. Just three cloaked figures in black looking over it - or rather, one cloaked figure watching over while the other two bashed each other's brains in.

But they were all waiting... as patiently as they could...

* * *

It was spreading farther than he thought... and somehow, he felt responsible for it.

The Valentine Legacy had a Warp-Gummi installed, so it didn't take long before they arrived at Traverse Town. Riku had opted to drift around for a while, to sort out his own thoughts. Plus, as mild as it had been, Chuya had shown some interest in the whirling colors outside the ship; he supposed that she didn't look quite so excited because she had known about the other worlds.

He had taken into account that Chuya had not slept in a long time. From experience, he knew that when Sleep was cast on someone, it really just had the same effect as an anesthetic would. She really had not given her body and mind rest, so he let her doze for a few minutes - there was most likely a fight coming up, and she could use the energy. But he noticed something strange after about a minute after she had really fallen asleep. She kept frowning slightly, as if something was pestering her. Her arms had been crossed lightly over her midriff, and she began to clutch her at her sleeves. Just when he had considered waking her up, she jolted awake. Fully alert, yet not looking startled. She gave no indication that anything had bothered her.

He would have questioned her about it, but the moment they stepped into Traverse Town, he knew such talk would have to wait. Actually, he would never get a chance to ask her about it. They had separate tasks in this city, and he knew that here they would truly part.

But first things first, they needed to make sure they lived that long.

The First District was supposed to be the most peaceful part of the town, and right now it was tranquil, but not in a good way. There should have golden, colorful lights shining from the shops and cafe in this area, but there weren't any. This place, which gave off the warmest feeling of welcome in the town, was now dark and cold; a silent warning to either stay back or venture further and suffer.

Huh. Someone was waiting for him indeed. The place was practically seething with dark forces at work.

Riku was now standing between the twin lamp posts near the entrance to the town, glaring up at the sky - which was really useless to do, since the veil of darkness that hung over the town obscured the stars above. He wasn't sure what spell was at work here, but he could tell that it had been put up just for him.

"Bastards..." he grumbled, cursing whoever was responsible for this, then changed his tone slightly. "Chuya, stay with me for a bit. I know you have other matters to attend to, but with this spell over the town there's not much either of us can do. Let's get this over with first, then go our separate ways."

"All right," Chuya said calmly; she was showing little interest in the town since it was dark, silent and empty. Riku had considered handing her over to the friends Sora had known in this town, but they - along with every other living being - were nowhere to be seen. And anyway, he was sure they'd attack him on the spot, blame him for what was happening again. Not that he knew what the hell was going on, but like they would believe him?

And maybe, just maybe, he just wanted someone around that wasn't constantly judging him, if only for a little while longer.

Might as well get it over with. He considered heading to the Second District first - since that was the largest area in which Heartless would appear - but whoever was waiting for him seemed to have a flair for style. The Third District was more compact; the perfect arena for a battle. Without hesistation, Riku turned to his right and headed towards the large double doors that led to the waiting battle.

"Be on alert," he told Chuya behind him as he pushed the doors open, ignoring how his voice had taken on the cold, distant tone of a warrior. After a short non-lit hall, they arrived through the other doors at the district. Riku kept walking forward until he stopped in the middle of the area, looking up at the various rooftops and challenging the forces around him with his piercing ice-colored eyes. His glanced briefly at the house that stood to the upper left, but chose to ignore it and the memory associated with it.

As if it was possible, the whole place suddenly grew a few shades darker. Riku narrowed his eyes.

"You fuckers wanted me..." As he spread his left hand to summon Oathkeeper, several small portals of dark, violet energy opened up in the air around him.

"...so here I am." He spread his right hand, summoning Oblivion as many clouds of electric-blue flame came out of the air.

Chuya - who stood with her back to Riku - spread her hands and held them down in front of her, bolts of electricity dancing around them as the ground around her and Riku liquified into an ebony pool.

From the portals emerged Darkballs; from the blue fire came Invisibles; and from the black lake came Neo Shadows. There was a hell of a battle on their hands; these just happened to be the some of the most powerful, pure Heartless, not the near-mindless creations of Ansem. Without moving his head, Riku let his eyes scan over the rooftops again, seeing that all three kinds of Heartless had gathered there, too.

There was tense pause, the only sounds being the crackling of Chuya's spell. It was in the split second when that spell seemed to die down that the mass of Heartless lunged as on them. None even touched the teens when in the second later Chuya's Thundaga spell was cast with explosive results, throwing back the majority of the Heartless. Riku dashed forward and leaped up, slashing through two Darkballs with a double horizontal strike, beginning the fight.

It didn't go quite as smoothly as he would have liked. His fighting would have been seen as fluid, but he had to keep halting attacks to dodge the swift strikes of the Invisibles and the sudden charges of the Darkballs. These Heartless gave him the most trouble; Chuya's Firaga spells obliterated most of the Neo Shadows and kept the other Heartless at bay.

Riku was fighting off a group of Invisibles that had surrounded him by blocking and countering with the Keyblades with complicated moves that involved him even fending off those behind him without looking. He considered using Strike Raid, but had to abandon that notion because of the element of the attack, and because of what happened to Chuya.

While he was busy with his group of Invisibles - most had attacked him since they couldn't get close to Chuya - one had escaped his attention and performed an attack that usually dealt a good amount of damage, but had different effects on Chuya. From the edge of his vision Riku saw the Invisible slam its large sword down into the ground and vanish in a puff of bluish smoke. He had figured it was going to come after him and was ready to roll out of the way of the attack, but instead he saw dark flames appear around Chuya. Before he could call out a warning, the flames had created a ring and dealt an invisible attack to Chuya.

It should have just caused her some damage, but instead it seemed to send an unseen surge through her, powerful enough that it even caused her to cry out in surprise and fall flat on her butt, dazed. Several Neo Shadows pounced on the fallen mage, smothering her from view.

Shit! Chuya! Riku attempted to push off the Invisibles and make his way towards her as he noted another, great weakness of Chuya - dark attacks were especially effective on her. He didn't have time to dwell on the other facts that made this weakness odd; he needed to get to her.

He didn't want to add a death to the long list of his sins.

But just as he managed to break a gap between the Invisibles, a Darkball rammed him into with no warning and smashed him painfully into the middle of the wall opposite the entrance to the Second District. The blow was so strong that it caused both Keyblades to vanish from his hands and a small crater to form at the point of impact that kept him suspended in that spot. In that short space of time, two Invisibles chucked their swords towards him, which were embedded into the wall under his spread his arms, and used some new technique that caused small rings of dark flame to bind his hands and legs to the wall.

Riku was being forced to watch as the Heartless devoured Chuya's heart - the same heart that she had said could not be taken.

But there seemed to be confusion among the Neo Shadows that had jumped her. It normally took only a few seconds for the dark creatures to tear a victim's heart from their body, but some of the Neo Shadows were looking at each other in apparent confusion. Chuya's heart had yet to be taken, but there was nothing he could do about it. The spell the Invisibles cast on him caused paralysis; plus the group in front of him had tripled from ten to thirty.

His eyes snapped back to the mass of Neo Shadows when he heard gunfire.

It was coming from the rooftop directly above him, so he had no way of seeing the shooter, but whoever it may have been was aiming at the mass that covered Chuya. The bullets took off several body parts of the Neo Shadows, but miraculously didn't harm Chuya when a glimpse of her came into view; a flailing arm that managed to cast Firaga and incinerate the rest of the Neo Shadows on her.

Some if the Invisibles that were going to attack Riku - who was helpless and pissed off as hell about it - rushed the figure above that apparently just saved Chuya, along with the remaining Deathballs. Those remaining kept their place and even more came to replace those that left, bringing the numbers to approximately a massive fifty. Chuya had seen that Riku wasn't in a position to help himself, and she tried to head towards him through the throng of Invisibles, but in the midst of dodging their tails and swords something suddenly yanked her back.

A large, black hand had wrapped its claws around her and was pulling her towards the Second District.

Riku heard the sounds of a claw ripping flesh apart and a few scattered shots of gunfire above him trail off across the rooftops - following Chuya to where she had been taken. Also, he thought he heard the whir of a sword... He glared at the mass of Invisibles in front of him and struggled against his restraints, wanting badly to get back into the fight. The Invisibles had paused momentarily - looking as though they were torn between pursuing Chuya, the gunman, or finishing off Riku who was powerless to do anything at this point.

They appeared to have decided on the last choice, and rushed towards Riku, swords ready, when a barrier of some sort stopped them. They tried again and again, but to no avail. It was then that they noticed the small points of light that Riku had seen, but ignored. The small, scattered flashes of gold that Riku had dismissed as gunfire turned out to be little pale golden flames that began to grow in number and size. The flames then erupted into an ethereal inferno that surrounded the Invisibles and trapped them within a burning cage.

Riku was just outside this divine blaze, and despite his close proximity he didn't quite feel a burn, but a strong sensation nonetheless; confirming that this wasn't a fire attack, but a holy one. Knowing he wouldn't be free until the Invisibles that cast the spell on him were destroyed, he could only witness as this magnificent attack unfolded.

Some of the Invisibles had already perished from straying to closely to the holy fire, but this was only the beginning. Riku's head snapped to his right as he heard the sound of boots sliding down the shingles of the high rooftop to his right in time to see a figure in black leap high off the roof - he could just tell that it was a woman, wielding a sword similar to a katana that gleamed white-gold. Flowing garments and silver hair streaming, he watched as six wings erupted on her back made of the same holy fire of the inferno, then as she dived down into the flames.

He could just make out the flashes of her swinging sword through the Invisibles who could not stop or defend themselves from the assault. The strikes were faster than any he had ever seen, and he couldn't count how many times she had attacked in those few seconds. She rose from above the blaze holding her sword above her head as the flames followed and engulfed the weapon, making it six times larger than its normal size. With a great cry, the woman brought her now flaming sword down in a powerful downward slash, which upon impact with the ground caused a large pillar of golden flame to erupt upwards, so high that it briefly parted the clouds of darkness above the town and extended into the shape of a cross that burst into thousands of fragments of radiance.

Surprisingly, Riku found that he had no need to shield his eyes from the attack. A barrier had been placed around him, which not only protected him from damage from the holy attack - the magic that was strongest against him besides light - but also from the brilliance that surely would have left him fully blinded.

The flames died down, leaving no trace of the Invisibles or even that there had been an attack that could have decimated this whole block or more of Traverse Town. There was the only the woman, still crouched in the middle of the square, the flaming wings now absent. Her platinum hair concealed her features until she rose, lifting her head and tossing the long locks back. She held her sword down in her right hand and took a large breath to recover from the great amount of energy she must have used to pull off that attack.

Riku had been released from his restraints and was standing where he was let down, almost in shock of this woman. He had seen powers beyond belief before, but this woman surely had to be among one of the most powerful people he had seen. He wanted to be angry, jealous even; he wouldn't dare say he was weak and knew he was capable of such power too, but had no knowledge yet of how to unleash it. But this woman... Her dark attire, tall stature, silver hair - and, when she looked at him - glowing sea green eyes and knowing smirk...

This was way too familiar... She looked so much like him--

A piercing, not quite human yell broke through the momentary calm. There was still a battle going on.

What had happened to that gunner? And Chuya?

The woman's eyes instantly went from warm and knowing to wide and worried. She mouthed a word, then sped off, leaping easily to the ledge that led to the Second District. Riku was right on her tail, and he barely noted that he and the woman raced at close to the same, inhuman speed when they emerged from the alley and he saw the mayhem before him.

To their left was Chuya, back to casting magic like mad. Her cloak had been lost sometime during the fight and there were a few tears in her clothes, but she kept at it, casting strings of spells faster than Riku had ever seen while avoiding the attacks of the Heartless. But he could tell she was losing steam; compared to before, her spells were a lot weaker, and slowly but surely the mass of Neo Shadows and Darkballs were closing in on her.

And to their right, in front on the Gizmo Shop which resembled a church, was what had snatched the mage; a Heartless Riku had never seen before, which looked like some enormous, humanoid dragon, with a hole the shape of the Heartless symbol in its chest, marking it as a true creature born of the shadows. It was thrashing about, screeching, jerking itself around as though someone were beating it around senseless, yet there was no indication that it was being struck by an unseen outside force.

The gunner was not in sight.

The platinum haired woman rushed off towards the massive Heartless while Riku went to assist Chuya. He jumped, calling forth Oathkeeper and Oblivion in midair as he came down and impaled both Keyblades into two Darkballs. Dashing forward, he twirled his body around, spinning the Keyblades about him to destroy the Heartless in a wide circle as he cleared a path towards Chuya.

"Riku?" she called when she saw him.

"Stay focused on the fight!" Riku shouted above the clamor of the Keyblades tearing through the Neo Shadows. Finally, he was able to get to a defensive position in front of Chuya, pinning her between the fountain and himself just as her magic went dry and her spells stopped. "Haven't you got any Ethers with you?" he shouted, blocking a high attack with Oathkeeper and sweeping low with Oblivion.

"No, they were taken from me," Chuya managed to say between large breaths. She was probably just running on adrenaline. Otherwise, she would have passed out long ago from the lack of sleep and the strain of using high-level magic for so long.

Though he was still frantically fighting off the masses in front of him, Riku managed to look ahead to see what had happened to the silver-haired woman. She was leaping around, aiming most of her attacks at the creature's mid-section - like she was trying to gut it - but was having difficulty getting a solid hit. Because of the Heartless' jerky movements, most of her sword strikes ended up as shallow cuts that healed almost instantly. At one point, the beast clutched at its head and leaned back as it let loose a shrill cry; the woman took this opportunity to vault up high and land on the creature's chest, driving her sword deep into the beast. But the deeper she drove, the more it seemed to release a dark energy different from the one associated with the Heartless. Rather than being blue or violet hinted, it was tinged with a deep, ruby red.

This new, dark energy suddenly erupted outwards, throwing the woman off who was barely able to recover herself by somersaulting backwards when her shoulders hit the ground. The energy had spread outwards in a ring, and while it didn't harm the woman, it did begin to destroy the other remaining Heartless assaulting Riku. Reacting instantly, he turned and shielded a fatigued Chuya as the wave washed over them. Riku only felt the sensation of a thousand needles pricking his back, but that was all. He thought the battle was over, but the new chorus of moaning, bellowing voices caused him to turn around and witness how the new Heartless was finished off.

What he could only describe as a portal from hell had opened up beneath the beast, and stygian claws and abyssal flames reached up to tear the shadow-spawn from below as streaks of dark, red energy sliced it open from within. Then there an explosion of energy that shredded open the Heartless into messy bits that incinerated from the eruption of hellfire underneath. One last shriek and it was destroyed, torn apart by forces neither worldy nor heavenly. A glowing, multi-colored mass could be seen amidst the flames as they began to dissipate; the culmination of the many hearts that had powered the Heartless.

The platinum-haired woman, who had watched the destruction of the Heartless rather placidly, swung her sword in a horizontal arc; a wave of pale energy arched from the blade and struck the glowing orb, shattering the barrier and releasing the captured hearts. They sped off into the night, as free as the town now was once again as the dark veil lifted to unshroud the velvet deep blue sky and the stars that dotted it.

Riku allowed himself a breath of relief after watching the hearts depart. Then he looked at the silver maned warrior, whose gaze was still directed upwards. He followed it, and nearly started when he saw what they were directed towards.

Standing atop the highest, pointed roof - reminiscent of a steeple - of the Gizmo Shop stood what had to be a demon, pitch black with scarlet, leathery wings. Its arms were crossed, and it seemed like it was returning the woman's gaze. It was an ironic picture; a demon, perched atop a church, staring down the angel that stood before it.

Riku tightened his hold on his Keyblades, and glared when both the demon and woman directed their attention to him.

Especially since that woman was again wearing that mightier-than-thou smirk.

Pissed, and thinking this woman was wanting him to challenge the demon and prove his skills to her, Riku stalked forward. He put Chuya from his mind for now; from the way he heard her breathing, he could tell she was sitting on the edge of the fountain, resting. The Keyblade Master was about mid-way between the woman and the mage when he caught a mischievious glint in the warrior's glowing eyes. He halted immediately, and spun around.

Only to find himself face-to-face with the barrel of a gun.


	8. Chapter 7: The Hand That Feeds

I give thanks to my readers thus far. You guys rock.

Disclaimer: Silver-haired woman is mine. And the theme is by Nine Inch Nails.

* * *

Eclipse Realm

Chapter 7: The Hand That Feeds

Chuya leaned forward a little, resting her chin on folded hands as her arms and the rest of her body quivered with the after-effects of the massive energy she had expelled. She thought not of her own exhaustion, but of what she had come here for and had yet to do; she needed to find Merlin, as Auron had told her. She would do so after just a moment. She was curious as to see what would unfold between the three people in front of her.

She was mainly watching Riku's expression, but her eyes did avert to the man before him. She knew that it was this man who had been that creature that had stood atop that building only moments ago; neither she nor Riku had seen him, but he had apparently moved with extreme speed.

He had saved her from the clutches of that beast when she had been snatched away from Riku, but the arrival of that horde of Heartless that had been after him separated them and left her to fend for herself. She had done that quite well, but she had noticed that in the midst of that man fighting the large Heartless, the beast had attacked suddenly and swallowed the man whole. A few instances later there was a piercing scream that didn't sound human, but it hadn't come from the Heartless. Soon after, just as her magic had become significantly weaker, Riku and a woman had joined the battle.

Chuya had a mild interest in the man at most because of how he had turned into a different being. She gazed at him calmly, noting the differences between him and Riku. The man was taller than Riku, and his hair was black and longer; most of it fell past his shoulders, and the rest stood wildly out of a scarlet headband. He wore a cloak that matched his headband and partially obscured the lower half of his face, secured with small belts at the front. The rest of his attire was black, though she couldn't see all of it. The most intriguing details were the golden claw of his left arm and the heeled boots with the same sort of armor on them.

Presently, the man stood with his weapon – one Chuya didn't recognize – held in a black gloved hand and pointed in Riku's face. She wondered why he hadn't attacked Riku if he was going to. Was there something wrong with it? If so, why didn't he just use the one attached to one of the two belts on his right leg?

However, despite the physical differences, there was still something about him that reminded her of Riku. The same almost applied to the woman, in other ways.

The mage let her gray orbs trail to the woman who stood a little ways behind Riku, though was now walking forward. Her hair was very long, with distinct prominent twin bangs, and pale like Riku's, but somehow had more luster. Her skin was pale like his – Chuya had noticed that all three people before her shared this quality – and though she couldn't seem them clearly, Chuya guessed this woman had light eyes probably the same color as Riku's.

The woman's entire outfit was black, all made out of the same material as Riku's own sleeveless shirt. She wore a tight corset that, despite having a zipper up the front, was bound with two belts, and was held up by the thick straps over her shoulders that also had buckles. Her fingerless gloves that stretched to her below her shoulders were separated at the elbows, most likely to allow better mobility. The top part of the gloves had two belts each that bound them to the woman's arms, while the lower parts had smaller ones sewn into each glove.

Underneath the corset was a long skirt that almost reached the ground, and billowed like a cloak. Her right leg was exposed, but the skirt was secured by two little belts high on her hip and a single, longer belt slung across mid-thigh. Her boots reached to her knees, and like the corset had a single zipper bound with three, wide belts. The front of the boots had plates of silver armor – much like the man's, but rounded rather than pointed.

Though they were strikingly similar physically, something about the woman made her not quite like Riku, not as much as the man in scarlet. Chuya supposed it had to do with how her lips were curled into an expression she couldn't identify. That, plus her tall stature, reminded her more of Rowena.

As she walked, the woman sheathed her sword into the decorative scabbard attached to the wide belt around her hips. She halted just behind Riku, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Vincent," she said, her attention on the man in front of Riku, "I'd like to say something to him first."

"…Very well." Vincent put away his weapon and turned towards Chuya. She was more focused on Riku's reaction; judging from his expression, he wasn't too pleased with Vincent walking away from him like that. He began to go after him, but the woman's hand stopped him. He whirled on her, and began to say something…

"May I ask of your name?"

Vincent was standing over Chuya when she noticed him again. She first saw that even with the shadows playing over his face, his eyes were still very evident in the dark, crimson as his cloak.

Riku had been wary of him, but Chuya could see no reason to be. Vincent's presence was very much like Auron's. "Chuya."

A slight change overcame Vincent's features. "I see… You've exhausted all of your magic energy. You should rest."

"No…" Chuya shook her head, her mahogany locks in mild disarray around her face. "I must find Merlin. I…" Her head dropped slightly, and she placed her fingers on her forehead. "I must."

She pushed herself off the fountain, but swayed as soon as she stood. Vincent steadied her with his normal arm. "As you wish-"

"Hey! What's going on over there?"

The voice had come from the woman, who had her hands on her hips and was staring intently at Vincent and Chuya. Riku was quiet, and his Keyblades were gone. Though he wasn't facing Chuya, she could tell that his head was down.

"There is nothing for you to be concerned about, Jophiel." Vincent turned with Chuya towards the silver-haired woman, his arm around the mage's shoulders. "Chuya is simply adamant about meeting with Merlin before recovering her strength."

"Chuya?" As Vincent walked with Chuya towards Jophiel, the mage could now see that her eyes were indeed the same, glowing color as Riku's. They were widened, all traces of her former expression gone. "Her name is Chuya?"

"Yes. It's all starting to come together, isn't it?" Vincent had looked down at Chuya, but she only gave him a brief glance before returning her eyes to Riku.

Jophiel muttered something Chuya couldn't hear, then said, "Well, if you're going to see the old man first, this should tide you over." She activated a mild healing spell; a red aura flashed around her for an instant, the large particles of what looked like glowing, white dust washed over all four people present. Vincent hesitated; he must have noticed, too, that Jophiel had suddenly looked away. But Chuya didn't move when Vincent did; she was still looking at the Keyblade Master.

"Riku?"

His response came quickly. "What?" Riku had turned his head a little, but Chuya couldn't see his face. He directed his gaze in front of him after a moment, and crossed his arms. "Go with Vincent. Do whatever you need to do."

Chuya felt Vincent's hand tighten slightly on her shoulder. She glanced up, thinking he wanted her attention, but saw instead that his red eyes were fixated on Riku. His expression mirrored the one Riku usually had; his brows were draw together a bit. Chuya noticed that Jophiel's brow had arched, her attention also on Riku.

"Let us be off," Vincent said quietly, starting towards the alley to their right. Chuya moved listlessly, now disinterested in her surroundings since Riku wasn't there and due to her own fatigue. She didn't even notice that she could barely stand upright until Vincent shifted his arm to her waist.

"Chuya," he said softly as he pushed open the doors that led to the next district, "how long have you known Riku?"

"For about… two days now."

"And how are you acquainted with him?"

"… We are friends."

They arrived at what Chuya vaguely recognized as the same area of the town that she and Riku had battled the hordes of Heartless. She dimly noticed that there was no sign of any damage, confirming the theory she had made when she and Riku first arrived; that someone had placed a spell that had put them into a different dimension. The lights in the area glowed brightly, flickering occasionally.

"Friends?" Vincent was carefully leading her down some steps that had been to their right.

"Yes… He said that we should be friends, since we were going to be together for a while. I… I guess that means we won't be when we part ways here."

Vincent was silent. Chuya, seeing that they had now stopped, looked up to see a door emblazoned with an emblem of fire at the end of a short alley before them. Pale green energy began to flare; she heard Vincent quietly say a spell, then lift his golden clawed arm and cast Fire at the door.

The emblem glowed briefly, then dulled. Vincent sighed, then carefully cast a well-controlled Firaga spell. This time the fire-emblem glared brightly and the door slid open.

As they made their way through and into a natural cavern, sleep tugged at Chuya's mind, but she wouldn't allow it. Instead, she struggled to stay awake and seek the truth of a question that had come to her.

"Why are you and Riku so alike?" she asked Vincent quietly.

The tall man actually paused and gazed down at Chuya questioningly. Looking up, Chuya could clearly see a small detail in his eyes that made her not doubt his similarity to Riku.

"You act differently towards him than the others – the Elder and Rowena – did," she continued, "and you look much different, too, but somehow… you are like him."

"…You're very perceptive." Vincent continued down the stone path, his arm not leaving Chuya's waist as she seemed to grow increasingly tired, yet still went on. "Riku and I are alike because... we are connected in many ways. I'm afraid you wouldn't understand, however."

"Are you also a friend of his?"

"I suppose, and much more, though Riku himself isn't aware."

"So what does that mean?"

"At the moment, nothing, I'm afraid."

Vincent stopped again, and Chuya lifted her head to view the small lake and strange dwelling that sat in the middle of it. Several obviously enchanted boulders led to it; Vincent, though, simply held Chuya against him and floated over them. Whether or not he had used magic she wasn't sure. The building – if that's what it was supposed to be – looked to be in pretty bad shape. The door was blocked off by rubble, so Vincent led her to the left side of the building where there was a hole in the blue brick wall. He let her go first, making sure she could stand on her own, and ducked in after her.

The inside of the building wasn't very large, and all furniture and various books were in disarray around the circular room.

"Merlin," Vincent called not too loudly, his deep voice penetrating in the quiet dwelling. After a brief pause, Chuya could make out what sounded like a mumbling voice coming from above.

A section of the roof suddenly descended, landing on the elevated platform in the middle of the room. Atop it was an old man with a trailing white beard and blue robes with a matching pointy cap.

"Vincent? Why are you-" Merlin halted as his eyes came to rest on Chuya, which soon grew large. "You!" he gasped, then said with a quiet harshness, "You are the one called 'Chuya', are you not?"

Chuya nodded, not understanding why it seemed Merlin was surprised to see her when he had been expecting her. The old wizard's eyes snapped back to Vincent.

"What is the meaning of this, Vincent? I was expecting Auron, not a Valentine! I swear, if that man is involved-"

"No," Vincent interrupted calmly.

"So, it was you and that meddling woman-!"

"No," Vincent repeated, then added slowly, "but she came with someone you despise even more… or should I say fear?"

Merlin's face went chalk white. Chuya had never seen anyone's face lose color so quickly. The wizard stammered incoherently, then regained his composure and turned his attention back to Chuya.

"Well? Have you anything to say for yourself? …No, I suppose you wouldn't."

"So, is there a problem?"

"Of course there is a problem!" Merlin screeched at Vincent, waving his staff violently. After a few moments he calmed down, readjusting his hat and robe. He focused on Chuya, and she could faintly see the aura of his magic working.

"Bah, it's already clinging to her like filth," he spat as the aura dissipated. "She will have to be cleansed of even this little bit… Maybe Spira has a… or was it near Aquios…?"

As Merlin continued to mumble to himself, Chuya felt Vincent's hand squeeze her again. She glanced up at him, meeting his eyes.

"Is there anything you need to ask Merlin about?"

Chuya remembered one of the items Auron gave her and nodded. Stepping away from Vincent, she produced the Jade Flash, which she had kept in a pocket on her dress rather than in her now missing cloak. "Merlin…?" When the old man gave her his attention, she indicated the stone in her hands.

Merlin waved her off impatiently. "You'll need the Fairy Godmother for that. She's over there."

Chuya went to the area on the floor Merlin indicated. She found a pale colored… vessel of some sort sitting on the floor. As she tried to determine what it was, sparkles of light began to emanate from it, and soon in a flash of magic an elderly lady appeared in a blue hooded robe.

"Why, hello there, dear! And who might you be?"

"… Chuya."

"Chuya…?" The Fairy Godmother grasped what looked like a wand close to her chest in one hand and reached out to touch Chuya's face with the other, causing the younger girl to lift it up.

"Well, I'll be… So, how may I assist you? … I see, what have we here?" The Fairy Godmother took her hand from Chuya's face and picked up the Jade Flash. She held it close to her face then said, "The soul of a most loyal companion rests in here. Though his world was destroyed and restored, he remains a spirit separated from his master. However, he will assist you with unyielding devotion." She tapped the star-shaped tip of her wand to the stone, and though it vanished in a glimmering gold and green flash, Chuya could feel the magic of the gem flow into herself. "His name is Kogoro; call him and he will aid you in battle."

Chuya nodded, then her eyelids grew heavy. Now that she had met with Merlin and could use the Summon Gem Auron had given her, she felt her purpose had been served for now. She didn't fight the cloak of black that washed over her.

"Oh my!" the Fairy Godmother exclaimed. Chuya swayed, but before she could hit the floor Vincent caught her falling body.

"Vincent! How delightful it is to see you again," said the Fairy Godmother.

"And you are looking lovely as ever, dear Godmother," Vincent said smoothly, causing the Fairy Godmother's cheeks to flush.

"How can you be happy to see _him_?" Merlin screeched again. "You know with him here that he and his whole wretched family are most likely going to-"

"I do not take kindly to those who would insult my relatives," Vincent said in a mockingly sinister tone as he laid Chuya down on the single bed in the room. He did not have to look to see Merlin's face blanch once more.

"E-hem! Yes, quite." Merlin coughed and cleared his throat. "And what is with _her_ condition? Has she already been infected?"

"Surely you are aware of the spell that had been cast over the town? Chuya exhausted all of her magic while battling with what was born of the power that cast that spell." He looked at Merlin sternly. "_They_ almost got her, you know."

"And how do you suppose that happened, hm? Keep her away from that… that _scourge_ of that boy, and we'll all be… _What are you smiling for_?"

Despite Merlin's words, and the meaning Vincent knew very well behind them, a wry smirk was evident in his eyes.

"We could all be doomed! How can you smile when you know that is true?"

"That may be, however… You underestimate the will of those who choose to walk in darkness. I believe… I know Riku is the one who will succeed in finishing this once and for all."

"You know how he is now!" Merlin continued to scream. "At this rate, he'll only be the cause of death and destruction again! And not to just a select few, this time."

"Riku won't let that happen again-"

"How can he be sure of that when he doesn't even _remember_? Bah!" Merlin threw his hands into the air. "It's hopeless whether he remembers or not!"

Vincent gave a short, rare laugh. "You think all the cards are already laid out before you, but… there is a wild card that you haven't considered." The scarlet clad man glanced over his shoulder at Chuya.

"No. Oh, no, no, no, no!" Merlin again thrashed his staff about. "As if things weren't dire enough, with _that_ power coming into contact with him, all of our fates are sealed!"

"I agree-"

"Don't argue with me- _What_?"

"I said, I agree," Vincent repeated calmly, crossing his arms. "Whether intentional or not, they have already begun to impact each other. Their meeting will affect the fates of us all, just as Riku's bonds with the others already have."

"You act as though their lives are changing, but see for yourself! There!" Merlin pointed a long, gnarled finger at the girl who lay silently. "There is no life there!"

"You're wrong." Vincent began to walk to the exit, but still said to Merlin, "Her life has just begun. Now, if you'll excuse me. Riku and I need to become… reacquainted."

With Vincent's departure, the small dwelling grew quiet, with barely a sound until Merlin's robes shifted against each other as he moved. He folded his arms within his sleeves and cast his eyes down.

"Don't they realize," he said much more quietly than he had in the last few minutes, "that not all of us wish to live in the shadows?"

"Do you believe that's what he wants?"

Merlin looked over to the Fairy Godmother, who had remained silent through the whole conversation. She was smiling, gently and warmly as always. "Now, don't think so glumly! It's far too soon to determine what lays in store for us, and we can't say it will all end happily ever after, but… but I believe these events will be passed down and become great tales of legend. You see…?

"Lives are ending, lives are beginning; but life itself will never fade away. This applies to hearts as well as memories. Even if something is lost, it is never truly gone."

* * *

He hated this. 

After all the crap he'd been through, it could end right here, right now, with a movement as simple as pulling a trigger. One 'bang!' and it could all end.

He hated being this powerless, and hated that the man in front of him knew that his life was not in his own hands.

_Why doesn't he just finish me?_ Riku's eyes narrowed as his grip tightened even more on the Keyblades. _He has the power… So why?_

Riku tensed even more when he heard the footsteps of the woman behind him approach, and it took more restraint than he cared for to not flinch or immediately spin around when he felt her surprisingly strong hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"Vincent, I'd like to say something to him first."

"…Very well." And just like that, this Vincent guy lowered and put away his gun – spinning it in the process – then turned around, headed towards Chuya.

He just dropped Riku like a boring subject he didn't want to discuss any longer. No way in hell the Keyblade Master was going to be insulted like that.

Riku began to start after Vincent, but that woman's hand held him in place. He spun around, shrugging off that hand and glaring fiercely at her.

"Who the fuck do you think you people are-?"

"Your superiors, plain and simple. What's the matter? Don't like the fact that you're not in control here? Face it; with the state you're in right now, I've got more power in this finger-" To emphasize her point, she placed an elegant forefinger close to his face, so that the holy magic she had conjured could be seen glowing clearly on the tip of her finger. "-than you have in your whole body. Same goes for Vincent over there.

"So…" The warrior crossed her arms, smirking in a way that almost made Riku shudder; it reminded him of his own from what seemed like another lifetime. "What can you hope to accomplish when you have the power of two Keyblades, yet you're easily overpowered by two new forces? Some 'Master' you are."

Riku bristled, and was about to lunge to prove he was not as powerless as she claimed he was, but stopped. His muscles uncoiled, his arms grew lax, and both Keyblades vanished as he realized…

She was right.

"Heh." Riku could sense the woman plant her hands on her hips and lift her head to look over in Vincent and Chuya's direction. Then he sensed her tense for some reason. "Hey! What's going on over there?"

"There is nothing for you to be concerned about, Jophiel. Chuya is simply adamant about meeting with Merlin before recovering her strength."

"Chuya?" There was a pause, and through his angry and darkening thoughts Riku's curiosity peeked, and he dimly noted that this woman called Jophiel sounded surprised. "Her name is Chuya?"

What was the deal with that? It was just a name, not anything important enough to be shocked about when there were other pressing matters at hand, like saving the worlds from the very power he wielded, and… and…

"Yes. It's all starting to come together, isn't it?"

What the hell were they talking about? Dammit, why was it that he always seemed to be the one to never know what was going on? The one always left out?

"I don't fucking believe this, just our luck," Jophiel muttered somewhat darkly, then said more loudly, "Well, if you're going to see the old man first, this should tide you over."

She used some sort of healing spell on everyone, but rather than think of how it felt familiar, he thought of how once again it seemed like someone else had to care for him, as he could only succeed in screwing himself over and over again-

"Riku?"

"What?"

He snapped at her, he knew he did, but at the moment he didn't really give a damn about Chuya. Some friend he was to her, but it wasn't as if she really cared about him. No one did.

He had almost turned his head to her, but instead glared at the ground in front of him, crossing his arms. Looked like Chuya needed direction from him yet again, like some empty, obedient drone. Whatever, as long as he didn't have to deal with her.

"Go with Vincent. Do whatever you need to do."

There was a hesitation; it seemed both Vincent and Jophiel had their attention on him, and he tried his best to ignore their looks.

"Let us be off," Vincent said, for some reason quiet; his voice was so monotone, so controlled that Riku couldn't tell if he was enraged or disappointed. He left with Chuya, and everything was quiet, until Jophiel's soft laughter was heard.

"Well, I'll be damned," she said, that smirk evident in her voice. "That's my boy; you're becoming a real pain, just like your mom. Though I must say, I would have given some sort of apology for my behavior."

"Shut the hell up," Riku snapped, meeting her cool – similar – gaze with his glare. "That's a load of bull. You're not my mother."

"Oh? And what do you remember of your mother?"

It should have been a hard blow; Riku found that he couldn't even think of why he said that. He hadn't even thought of his true mother in so long, couldn't even remember when he recalled that the woman who had raised him on Destiny Islands wasn't his birth mother. But the memory tugged at him nonetheless, and he felt an almost overwhelming desire to protect it, though it was covered with anger.

"She was a gentle woman," he said shortly, "and not some conceited bitch."

That set off something. Something sparked in that woman's gaze, and her smirk wavered for a second.

"Ah, the brat has balls," she said thinly.

"Same to you."

Now she did twitch, soon drawing her sword. Riku likewise called forth Oblivion.

"You trying to start something?" Jophiel said through clenched teeth, clutching her katana tightly.

"No, I'm trying to end it," Riku replied, smirking though his eyes blazed as he held one hand out in front if him, Oblivion raised high near his head. "But you people keep getting in my way!"

He did lunge this time, Jophiel also springing forward to block Oblivion with her gleaming blade, one palm firmly against the flat of it to better brace against the much wider Keyblade. Using the leverage of the locked weapons, Riku vaulted above Jophiel's head, swinging Oblivion to deflect the strikes she aimed at him above her. He landed behind her at quite a distance, and turned to immediately attack her, but just barely stopped himself short.

Jophiel had not turned to face him; judging from her crouched position, a familiar stance, she had sheathed her sword as an outline of energy glowed briefly around her. Then she drew her sword at inhuman speed, slicing around herself so many times that only the energy from her blade could be seen. At the end of each strike, energy flowed to the tip of the blade to erupt in a small blast, but each blow was so fast that it looked like multiple miniature suns were exploding around her, a sound like that of bells and drums being caused.

Riku had barely reacted fast enough to avoid jumping straight into this attack, but was still singed by the magic of it. After a few seconds Jophiel's attack stopped, her sword sheathed again with a hiss as it smoked, as did the ground around her momentarily.

Riku snorted, and proceeded to commence his own attack. The technique had been impressive, but since he was not caught in it, he could see it was done with an arrogant power that left her wide open afterwards. She had just used it so as not to waste time turning to him, instead choosing to attack almost blindly all around her.

Jophiel dodged Riku's strike, but was caught in the side when he twisted and brought his boot around in a kick. She staggered and cursed as she did so, but braced herself on the foot on the ground and drew her sword again, pushing off with that foot in a series of sweeping, graceful strikes aimed in front of her.

They continued for only a few more minutes, Jophiel making brash but beautiful moves with her sword while Riku attacked more aggressively, fluent with his own style even if it was not at graceful. Jophiel's anger began to subside, so much so that in powerful swing Riku managed to knock her sword from her hand and high into the air above. He smirked, and hurried forward to finish the fight, but she held out her hands in front of her, murmuring and conjuring a Holy spell.

Riku stopped and began to prepare a technique of his own subconsciously; he was a bit more focused on channeling his anger, so he wouldn't be affected by the sudden look of desperation in her startlingly familiar eyes.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"Isn't it obvious?" Riku's dark energy began snaking in tendrils of deep violet and blue around him. "I am _sick _of you people fucking with me! I'll put an end to this…" His energy enveloped him, and Riku lifted Oblivion in both hands near his right shoulder, using his power to propel him over the ground in a supernatural dash with his Keyblade ready to go through this woman who impeded him. "…starting with you!"

Jophiel's holy magic vanished for a second as she caught her falling sword, only to return in the next when it surrounded her body. She appeared to be mimicking Riku's attack in the opposite magic as she too was driven forward by energy alone.

Riku was almost blinded by rage rather than the light of Jophiel's Holy attack, and a defying roar almost made its way past his lips. However, something clicked in his mind, and he abruptly stopped himself when he was moments away from colliding with Jophiel; he had avoided running into the spray of gunfire that had come between the two combatants.

Jophiel likewise halted, and she ignored the energy still emanating around her and Riku to look at the one who had stopped them. The Keyblade Master followed her gaze, which landed on Vincent stepping from the shadows, his pistol still smoking.

"Vincent, I…" Jophiel's voice was suddenly weaker and hesitant. Vincent returned her gaze calmly; in the gloom and because of the dark color of his eyes, it was hard to see if he was angry or sympathetic with her.

_Sympathetic?_ Riku wondered for a moment, then grit his teeth and looked away briefly as he shook his head, closing his eyes at the memory that had come to surface. Vincent and Jophiel had looked at each other the same way Kairi and Sora would after one of the more serious duels the brunette would have with the older boy.

"Don't you see?" Jophiel asked, breaking through Riku's thoughts, but when he opened his eyes he found she had been addressing him.

_See what? That you pity me? That you're in my way? That I can barely stand to look at you 'cause of what you're doing… and because your eyes are too damn familiar and look… predatory?_

Riku shook his head again as that last thought struck him as odd, but true; at this proximity, he could see that not only were Jophiel's eyes nearly the same color as his and glowed and looked so goddamn familiar, but her pupils were slit like a feline's.

What bewildered him was that he realized they didn't strike him as odd, and only then did he began to think of them as such.

"Riku…" Jophiel's holy aura had dropped by now, as did her sword arm, and she began to walk towards him, raising her other hand.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Riku growled, his aura which had dimmed beginning to flare again as he gripped Oblivion tightly in front of him.

Jophiel stopped and frowned in what turned out to be a pained expression, and looked like she was about to say something when a slender hand on her shoulder quieted her.

Her eyes met Vincent's briefly before she stepped back and allowed him to stand before her. The scarlet clad man had put away his gun, standing before Riku with what looked like only that golden claw to defend with. But who knew what else he was hiding under that cloak?

"You would attack someone who no longer wishes to fight?" he asked coolly, his deep, smooth voice not betraying anything.

"Tch, she started it. Our fight isn't over," Riku spat back, his eyes snapping dangerously. He wanted to make Jophiel pay for her words earlier, for making him think of his mother and so many other things he didn't wish to have on his mind. "So get outta my way!"

Riku did roar this time as he tried to overtake Vincent in a jumping slash. Much to his surprise though, the older man merely raised his claw and held off Oblivion by taking the blow and holding its blade. He did this without any strain or effort needed on his part, and with a shove powerful for his slight frame, he pushed Riku off.

The surprised Keyblade Master landed quite a distance away, landing painfully on his back and skidding. He lay there stunned by the fact that as he was in the air for a moment, held up by Vincent gripping his Keyblade, his aura had abruptly dissipated; Vincent had dispelled it with some unseen force.

He heard Vincent's boots approaching, soon followed by his voice. "If it is a fight you desire…"

"Bring it!" Riku finished, wind-milling his legs as he spun Oblivion under him, twisting his body so he ended up spinning on his shoulders and rolling backwards to spring to his feet.

Vincent had easily avoided this maneuver, jumping backwards to put some distance between himself and the teen, then stood, waiting for Riku to make his move.

Knowing he would need more power to overtake the unpredictable man, Riku began to gather energy for some technique he knew could accomplish that, though he couldn't name it. However, his eyes suddenly widened, and Riku leaped aside to dodge to spray of bullets Vincent sent his way.

_Dammit… Long range is his specialty; he won't give me the time to perform a technique._

Riku frowned as he continued moving to avoid the gunfire, making his way towards Vincent with deadly intent. With his speed, surely the man wouldn't have the time to put away that nasty-looking rifle he was using to shoot powerful bullets at him with.

Time seemed to slow down for a second when Riku moved in low on Vincent; their contrasting eyes locking for a moment before Riku let loose with a three-hit combo that Vincent matched blow for blow. The last clash of Keyblade-on-claw left Riku staggering, and the scarlet-clad man knocked him away quite a distance with an invisible attack; Riku could have sworn he saw very air ripple around him before being struck.

The next thing he knew he was painfully picking himself up, using Oblivion as a crutch and wondering who had torn up the ground; there was a shallow crater around where Vincent was standing calmly, and a ragged but shallow trench that led from him to where Riku was.

The silver-haired Keyblade Master shook his head and grit his teeth as his dark surroundings came into focus again, then tried another attack on his opponent. This time after Vincent was done clashing with Oblivion, he knocked Riku up into the air and suspended him with that unseen force that warped the air around them before throwing him to the side. Riku forcefully collided with a low wall with a cry of outrage and pain, then landed on the hard ground.

_Why?_

His world was dark with random crimson bursts of pain, red as the man who was before him.

_Why am I losing…?_

A heartbeat suddenly became evident, and only continued to grow in volume. He recognized it as his own; when was the last time he had listened to his heart?

_No! I refuse!_

His eyes snapped open just before a small burst of power enveloped his vision.

_I _won't_ lose again!_

Riku was then aware of himself hovering about a foot in the air above when he had lain only moments ago, hearing the dull shots of Vincent firing at him; but the bullets were being stopped by the black-and-violet aura that has surrounded him. He let loose a cry that sounded remotely like himself, then the world was a blur of colors, dark with flashes of red as he speared towards Vincent again and again, never touching the ground and vanishing only to appear and attack again. After his series of quick strikes, he stopped and crossed his hands at the wrists, aiming them and Oblivion at the ground as dark bolts struck it in stark violet bursts in every area he had appeared in.

Riku stood panting, his body quivering in the strain of the aftershock. He didn't wonder too much about what exactly he had just done, since it seemed it allowed him to finish off Vincent; the cloaked man was no where to be seen.

Catching a movement out of the corner of his eye, he snapped his head to Jophiel, who was emitting a soft green glow – where had he seen that before? – from where she sat perched on a wall, her long hair waving in the aura of magic as she cast a spell on Riku.

He growled once more and was about to make his way over to her, to finish their earlier bout, when she made an indication with her head. Riku stopped cold, then whirled around to meet Vincent.

He was close enough to see Vincent's eyes go from crimson red to flash the bright color of fresh blood; close enough to see the ironic words engraved on the rifle…

_Death Penalty…_

A large burst of vivid red energy was fired from the rifle to hit Riku at point-blank range.

He wasn't even knocked back. The full force of the shot enveloped him, and he could do nothing but stand there and take it in. The pain was so intense that his body went numb after a moment, though he could still feel that horrid energy rip through every part of him.

_Demonic… Demon…_

Oblivion retreated back to the shadows that sheathed it when its wielder fell backwards to the ground.

A chorus of "why?" echoed through the blackness Riku thought he was trapped in again, until there was a sudden scarlet that answered,

"Because you let us."

Riku blinked as his eyes came back into focus; the adrenaline rush was gone, replaced by a slow regaining of his energy that he didn't understand. When their gazes met, Vincent continued.

"You let such things stand in your way because you make your own distractions. You are not even sure of what exactly your goal is, nor have you thought of how to achieve it."

_Fuck you… _Riku frowned and looked away, not wanting to let Vincent's words sink in; he was having a question he didn't even know he had asked aloud answered. But Riku ended up looking straight ahead, which happened to be above from where he laid spread on the ground. He was met with the sight of the stars; the pinpoints of light enveloped in the soft, deep blues of night, not blackness; the worlds that were in danger again.

"Your answers will not be just given to you. You have to offer something; just what that offering will be, you have yet to choose."

"…Enough of this," Riku suddenly said, then braced his palms by each side of his head and kicked his legs out to bring him to his feet. He stood calmly, one hand on a hip as he brought back Oblivion in a smooth gesture and pointed it at Vincent.

He saw the man in a different light – for lack of a better term – and now considered him a mystery to question some other time. Same thing for the silver-haired witch.

His mind was cleared, for the moment, at least, and Vincent's words had at least given him an idea. He would meditate on what else he may have gained from his words at some other time.

"What can I offer? I dunno about offering anything…" Riku smirked. "But I have something someone's looking for. And they'll have my answers for sure.

"But just you wait; I'm not done yet with you or your long-haired wench-"

"Hey!"

Riku ignored the indignant cry as he made a slicing motion with Oblivion, then felt the effects of a power he never thought he'd use again. As he expected, he found himself in Merlin's dwelling only a few seconds later. Ignoring the wizard's curses and his own body's quivering from exertion, he went over to Chuya and shook her shoulder.

"Hey, Chuya. C'mon, wake up; we're leaving."

"No, don't you dare! Unhand that girl this instant! You must not go near her!"

Not getting a response besides incoherent murmurs, Riku took up Chuya in his arms, noticing that she had to release the covers which she had been clenching tightly. He wondered for a moment just how he would explain his presence when she awoke, but he pushed that thought away. Best to think about it when the problem arose.

"_Don't you realize what this will do_?"

Having made his way to the glowing magic portal on the floor that would lead to the Gummi ship docking bay, Riku shifted Chuya in his arms and answered Merlin's screeching with a select finger. He smirked as the portal whisked them away, and even he wasn't sure why he did.

* * *

"Well, there he goes…" Jophiel said as she approached Vincent's side, joining him in staring off into nothing. She hugged her arms to herself, tilting her head towards her partner. "You sure it was a good idea leading him on like that?"

"It is all for the best," Vincent answered, his voice mellow.

"Yeah, if only he'd realize that. Ungrateful brat…"

Hearing Jophiel's voice break, Vincent uncrossed his arms and turned towards her. "Jophiel…"

"You saw how he was…" Jophiel had turned her head away; her long hair – a bit unruly after her tussle with Riku – draped over one shoulder and concealed her face from him. "If you hadn't come when you did, I… I'm not sure what we would've done. I almost screwed it up again… We could have lost even more…"

Vincent came to stand in front of Jophiel and swept back her hair with his right hand, causing her to look up at him when he kept his hand near her face.

"Forces are at work here that neither of us have control over," he said levelly, keeping his scarlet gaze on the jade Mako eyes he had grown accustomed to looking into. "We can only push him in what we believe is the right direction, and hope all will be well."

After a few heartbeats of silence, Jophiel managed a small grin, a bit of her usual self. "'Push him'? More like kick his ass in the right direction."

Vincent allowed a slight smile of his own. "I only did what needed to be done."

"Right, in your usual no-nonsense flair, huh?"

"Of course," Vincent replied, tilting his head towards hers.

"Hm?" Jophiel's eyes were directed upwards, and Vincent followed them in time to see what looked like a shooting star vanish into the night sky.

"Well, now's he's off… Wait a sec…"

He sensed her twitch, and wisely stepped away, knowing what would happen next.

"That damn little-! He took my baby! Ooh, when I catch up with him…!"

Jophiel began to chase after Riku, but Vincent's words halted her.

"He's taken our ship," Vincent calmly reminded her with a cough and a fist in front his mouth, hiding his evident smirk. "We have no way of catching up with him at the moment."

"… Dammit!" Jophiel unsheathed her legendary katana, Hihiirokane, with a huff and began to run towards the doors to the First District. "Where the hell is Cid, anyway? I swear, no one's ever friggin' around when you need 'em…!"

Vincent just shook his head in amusement, then strolled after Jophiel's receding figure and voice, mindful of the skies above him, which night would never release.

* * *

It was a place only inhabited under the blessing rays of the sun; once, they had dared to be here when it was in the clutches of night, and they had all been taken by those shadows. Darkness had destroyed all, and eventually, light had restored it.

But darkness still held two imprisoned, and to her, it might as well have been her whole world that was still trapped.

However, she kept her eyes, the color of the troubled sea under a clear sky, on the endless expanse that they were named after. After hoping and praying for so long, she knew she had finally heard right. It wasn't in her mind; she wasn't going crazy.

She saw beyond the beach, beyond the ocean; heard past the distant laughter of the others and the waves as they touched against the land.

She kept her hands clasped in front of her heart, hoping, praying there would be a chance for her to answer the voice of the one that meant more to her than words could tell.

He was calling her, and though she couldn't understand the entire message, she knew he wanted her with him.

* * *

"Same old, same old… At least I know now what I'm doing…!" 

Riku finished off a few Heartless in front of him with a large cross-slash from Oblivion and Oathkeeper. The enemies weren't much of a challenge, but they came in large numbers, and he was growing increasingly frustrated as he felt he was getting no where.

The Valentine Legacy's coordinates had been set for some other destination, but while passing one planet some Heartless had attacked in the form of specialized ships. While he didn't have much experience using the weapons of a gummi ship, Riku managed to use (and have a little too much fun, it seemed) the powerful artillery available to him; but not before the Heartless landed a critical blow that forced him to land.

A screen had read that he had landed in the area of a city called Station Square, and upon opening the hatch and looking around, he had found he was in a hanger that also housed a small plane he guessed was the 'Tornado', as the words were painted on the side along with two bushy yellow tails. His first thought was to find the mechanic who owned this place and see if he could get the gummi ship repaired.

Next, sensing how the air practically oozed with darkness, he wanted to know the source of the Heartless here; he knew the hated creatures were attracted to the darkness in people's hearts, and for once he wasn't the one they were drawn to.

Neither was Chuya. She had yet to regain consciousness, so he had left her on a couch in a living area of the hanger, along with his coat. He had wanted to get a basic idea of their location before going back and making sure no one had taken her.

Once he was in the streets of the seemingly deserted city, glowing in the soft warm colors of the afternoon and growing darker with each passing moment in the coming night, the Heartless had commenced to attack him. They weren't so bad; only Neo Shadows and a few Darkballs, but there was so damn many of them.

_At this rate, I won't be able to get rid of 'em before nightfall. And if that happens… _Riku had no doubts that something worse would come out once night took up its reign, and they would be after Chuya. _I should have waited until she woke up._ Her magic would have been a big help; and he wouldn't have to worry about her getting snatched away.

Other than that, he was in good shape. He found Jophiel had used some sort of spell that healed him gradually over time; it had worn off a while ago, but he was revitalized enough to fight.

Riku frowned and became more aggressive towards the Heartless he was hacking away at as his thoughts began to stray, thinking of when was the last time he had truly worried about something – or someone – and just what was his connection with the man and woman he had met in Traverse Town.

He lost his concentration, and staggered as he was hit by a flailing Darkball. He cursed as he realized he wouldn't have time to recover before a group of Neo Shadows advanced on him.

"Watch yourself!" A foreign voice suddenly called out, followed by a bellow and a rumbling sound as the very asphalt furrowed in large chunks in a straight path right by him, striking the Neo Shadows and continuing on into the midst of the horde. This was followed by a reddish-orange streak that dashed into the Heartless, and Riku could make out the sounds of combat that used no weapon save for the fists of the aggressor.

A few seconds later, what looked like a large bright blue ball streaked in a fast circle around him, clearing out the Heartless so that there was a reasonable amount of space around the Keyblade Master. Riku gripped his Keyblades tightly, prepared for anything, but not quite expecting the sight he was met with.

The 'ball' came to a stop in front of him, and revealed a boy that seemed to be younger than him due to the pitch of his voice when he spoke.

"Geez, I thought you were better'n than that! How could you zone out in the middle of a fight?"

"And just who the hell are you?" Normally Riku could have cared less, but he wanted to at least know the name of this brat whose ass he would beat later for daring to question his skill…

…and had one of the craziest sets of spiked hair he had ever seen, which was _blue_ with matching ears to boot; little, triangular ears on the top of his head.

The boy looked back at him over his shoulder with bright green eyes, flashing him a toothy grin and pointing a thumb at himself.

"I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

* * *

Yes, you read that right. :D

So, just what will the next chapter hold? Lots of fun with Team Sonic! All your favorites will be making appearances, along with some surprises. And just what_ is_ Riku planning to do with Chuya?

The next chapter has been underway for years, but I lacked the inspiration to finish it until now. The bulk of it needs to be rewritten, but expect an update before the end of this year.

If you are curious about Jophiel, you can check out two other stories I've written that feature her: "Masamune & Hihiikrokane", and "Waltz of the Snowflakes".

I'll see you guys soon.


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